# Why do people use pesudonyms online? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 13, 2008, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-pesudonyms-online/477003 "2008-12-13T09:41:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Jayn\_Newell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jayn\_Newell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayn_Newell)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-pesudonyms-online/477003/41 "2008-12-14T03:09:19Z")
Some of us have very unique names as well, and it would be way too easy to track us down if we used them. Myself for instance–my given name is uncommon in the English-speaking world, and my first-last name combination belongs to me alone. It would completely kill any anonymity I have to use my real name. Besides, I’ve never much liked my name. No one can ever pronounce it right. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-pesudonyms-online/477003/42 "2008-12-14T08:23:10Z")
Everywhere else on the net I use my real name. It just didn’t seem to be done here. ---
**Author:** ![CutterJohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/91b2a8/32.png) [@CutterJohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CutterJohn)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-pesudonyms-online/477003/43 "2008-12-14T08:52:58Z")
I’ve noticed this as well, and it strikes me as odd, since I give my name out to half a dozen complete strangers a day without batting an eye. Of course, I understand being able to pick your own name, which is why I’m not Nick, but people seem to be actually hesitant about giving out their real names online. For instance, last month I made [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=491538) thread, about name entymology… 50 replies, and I was the only one who volunteered their name. Granted, I didn’t ask to see their full names, and likely if I had some few would have, but I honestly didn’t even think to do so, since I assumed people simply would as part of the fun. Is giving out your name online truly that taboo? If it is, it mystifies me. There are any number of people who have their names online from being in the news, or being bloggers, reporters, etc… ---
**Author:** ![seodoa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@seodoa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seodoa)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-pesudonyms-online/477003/44 "2008-12-14T09:01:23Z")
> [@CutterJohn](#): > > last month I made [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=491538) thread, about name entymology.. The study of the history of insect names? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![CAT\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@CAT\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CAT_1)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-pesudonyms-online/477003/45 "2008-12-14T09:19:26Z")
I do use my real first name, well nickname. I am Cathy. I added the little ascii pussy face 11 years ago, and even though I have seen others use it too, I don’t run into them that often. It works well for me. And when I have met net friends and they call me CAT in person, it isn’t weird, since I have been called that for quite a few years, by a lot of family and friends. ---
**Author:** ![seodoa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@seodoa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seodoa)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-pesudonyms-online/477003/46 "2008-12-14T10:23:34Z")
> [@CAT\_1](#): > > I added the little ascii pussy face 11 years ago, and even though I have seen others use it too, I don’t run into them that often. It worried me a bit that your ascii pussy cat’s whiskers come out its ears, but then I just assured myself that it is just an old kitty in dire need of a personal grooming kit. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-pesudonyms-online/477003/47 "2008-12-14T13:51:01Z")
I also have an unusual first name, and with first and last in combination it’s unique. I teach at a university, and I’d really rather my students’ and coworkers’ knowledge of me and my private life (including any info or opinions I share here) stay separate. If you were profiled on Rate My Professors you’d feel a painful lack of anonymity, too. I mean, if my name were Amy Smith and I worked in a corporate office in the New York/New Jersey area and liked cats, that would be one thing–“Sorry, you must have the wrong person!”-- but pretty much. . . If my name goes into Google, I’m the only person who shows up. I’m probably stalkable from this message board even without having ever used my real name, based on interests, geographic clues, gender, etc. If someone ever got interested enough to put in some time I’d be identifiable. Monday morning:“So, Professor C, did it turn out to be herpes, or what? How’s your hangover?” ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-pesudonyms-online/477003/48 "2008-12-14T14:23:12Z")
Many years ago, before anybody knew who they were, I visited the Weta Workshop in Wellington NZ, met a couple of the key people, and saw some of the fantastic stuff they were planning for their next film. Having not been asked to keep quiet, nor signed any non-disclosure forms, I posted very vague descriptions of only two or three of the things I saw to a movie website. Foolishly I did not provide a pseudonym, so the site made one up for me - using my real name. Someone at Weta saw it. They found my application to work there that I had sent in a few months earlier. I was banned from ever working for them ever ever ever. That’s what using your real name can get you. ---
**Author:** ![jali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecae2f/32.png) [@jali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jali)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-pesudonyms-online/477003/49 "2008-12-14T14:39:38Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Wait a minute. The rest of you are using pseudonyms? You made me laugh. ---
**Author:** ![CAT\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@CAT\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CAT_1)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-pesudonyms-online/477003/50 "2008-12-14T21:18:04Z")
> [@seodoa](#): > > It worried me a bit that your ascii pussy cat’s whiskers come out its ears, but then I just assured myself that it is just an old kitty in dire need of a personal grooming kit. Well I do have a lot of hair, about 33" to 36" of it, so it is fitting I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-pesudonyms-online/477003/51 "2008-12-14T21:32:57Z")
Privacy, mainly. The only things I am willing to divulge that could be used as identifiers are my gender and age. (That, and I’m not tethered to a particular alias throughout the internet) ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-pesudonyms-online/477003/52 "2008-12-14T22:13:32Z")
> [@capybara](#): > > I also have an unusual first name, and with first and last in combination it’s unique. I teach at a university, and I’d really rather my students’ and coworkers’ knowledge of me and my private life (including any info or opinions I share here) stay separate. If you were profiled on Rate My Professors you’d feel a painful lack of anonymity, too. I mean, if my name were Amy Smith and I worked in a corporate office in the New York/New Jersey area and liked cats, that would be one thing–“Sorry, you must have the wrong person!”-- but pretty much. . . If my name goes into Google, I’m the only person who shows up. I’m probably stalkable from this message board even without having ever used my real name, based on interests, geographic clues, gender, etc. If someone ever got interested enough to put in some time I’d be identifiable. > > Monday morning:“So, Professor C, did it turn out to be herpes, or what? How’s your hangover?” Exactly. I need at least some anonymity–there are very few people in the world with my surname, and a lot of students trying to see my (non-existent) profiles on social networking sites. I ran into several students today while shopping. There need to be some places where I can out of professional persona. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-pesudonyms-online/477003/53 "2008-12-15T03:26:03Z")
> [@Silver Tyger Girl](#): > > Personally? > > 1. I don’t like my real name. > 2. I’m a single young female > 3. There are crazy people on the internet (it only takes one to ruin your day) > > Therefore, I don’t use my real name and I don’t post anything too specific about where I live. 1. I agree, I don’t care for my real name either (I think its a name for either really really cool people, or really really nerdy people..and I think I am the latter) 2. How YOU doin??? 3. Hear hear (No, seriously…How YOU doin?) ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-pesudonyms-online/477003/54 "2008-12-15T05:27:39Z")
Yeah, this is about the only place I do use my real name. Because I know most of you are a peaceful folk. Shy and retiring, and generally unarmed. I don’t usually associate with this class of people, so I don’t even like mentioning what part of the country I’m in much less my name. ---
**Author:** ![seodoa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@seodoa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seodoa)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-pesudonyms-online/477003/55 "2008-12-15T05:37:48Z")
> [@Bobotheoptimist](#): > > Yeah, this is about the only place I do use my real name. Your real name is Bobotheoptimist? :dubious: Is that a family name? May I call you Bobotheo for short? I rather like the sound of that. ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-pesudonyms-online/477003/56 "2008-12-15T05:55:49Z")
I don’t know why I use a pseudonym. My real name is common enough that I could divulge it and even tell y’all what city and state I live in and even where I work(there are two of us there) and I would be hard to track down. I am not particularly enamored of Ataraxy, either. I guess I do it because everybody else is doing it. It’s peer pressure. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-pesudonyms-online/477003/57 "2008-12-15T07:32:13Z")
I do it for many of the reasons given, but also so I don’t have to deal with the morons who think it’s cowardly to use a handle. I never could stand those people and I’ve always wondered what they intend to do with the real names of the people who piss them off. Walking on eggshells because of violent morons is something we have to do in the real world; the Internet allows us to say what we feel without fear of being killed. ---
**Author:** ![CutterJohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/91b2a8/32.png) [@CutterJohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CutterJohn)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-pesudonyms-online/477003/58 "2008-12-15T11:49:20Z")
You’ll have to forgive me, but anyone who refrains from giving out their name online for safety reasons gets a :rolleyes: from me… Most of the other reasons I can accept, though I still think people are far too serious about it. ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-pesudonyms-online/477003/59 "2008-12-15T15:48:33Z")
> [@seodoa](#): > > Your real name is Bobotheoptimist? :dubious: Is that a family name? > > May I call you Bobotheo for short? I rather like the sound of that. “Otheop” is my middle name (it’s an Ellis island attempt at spelling the proto-Celtic for “guy with weird names”), and I come from a long line of people involved in timing related occupations. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-pesudonyms-online/477003/60 "2008-12-15T17:46:40Z")
I use my real name because I’ve never met another one, IRL or online. Unique enough without trying. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-pesudonyms-online/477003.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-pesudonyms-online/477003.md?page=4)