Name And Identity Change Is Commonplace
The use of a different name and identity is much more common than most people realize.
Women often change their last name and identity when they marry and nobody thinks anything about it.
People often use their middle name instead of their first name or they may use a nickname instead of their Given Name in daily life. That’s acceptable to everyone.
A William becomes Bill and Susan becomes Sue. Many more names change or are shortened by common practice.
My ex-friend Richard likes everyone to call him Bud. He’s an ex-friend because he’s a con artist and womanizer. He doesn’t want people to know his real name and that’s why he uses Bud.
This David doesn’t always like it when someone arbitrarily decides I’m a Dave and please never call me Davey!
My mother changed her last name when she married my father. She uses her middle name instead of her given first name for everyday life (I’m sure she has her reasons but I’ve never asked why nor does anyone else question her choices). This makes her a double name changer for using her married last name and her middle name as her daily use name everyone knows her by and accepts without question. For legal purposes, she uses her given first name, given middle name, and married last name in that order. She has a different identity as wife and mother then before as a single person. She has a different name in everyday life from her legal name.
Many of our favorite actors and actresses use a Stage Name rather than their Given Name. They do it for privacy, security reasons, or because their Given Name did not project the image wanted, or even because a studio had it changed it for them.
Singers, musical artists, and other performers often use Stage Names rather than Given Names.
Many authors use Pen Names rather than Given Names for a multitude of reasons.
To use myself as an interesting and complex example:
My given first name is David but people do persist in calling me Dave rather I like it or not.
One of my legal Pen Names under which I authored the book you are now reading is David Author.
I have other legal Pen Names I use as an author and I use multiple Pen Names for good reasons. For example, I write fiction under a different Pen Name, as I don’t want my fiction books associated with my nonfiction books.
I chose a last name for two of my Pen Names to begin with an “A”, because fiction books are filed alphabetically in a library. This is a lesson I learned as a junior high and high school student. You see, I read much science fiction when I was a student and I started by picking books out of the first fiction shelf at the library in the A’s. I progressed through the shelves and the alphabet over time. The first science fiction authors I read were Paul Anderson and Isaac Asimov in the seventh grade. The first science fiction magazine I read was also in the A’s, and titled “Analog”. It took me several years to progress through the bookshelves in the library and the alphabet to Jules Verne on the final bookshelf while in high school. Therefore, I have consciously chosen Pen Names to have a last name in the A’s. I’ve done this so someone starting in the A’s in a library would be more likely to find my books then if I used a last name further on in the alphabet. I want to have more people find my books because of the strategic positioning on the first shelves in a library the A’s allow. I also use Pen Names to protect my personal privacy from intruding literary agents, publishers, business credit card service companies, service agencies, critics, etc.
Many years ago, my wife and I chose the name for our firstborn son in my family tradition. The firstborn son receives the father’s first name as his middle name and a new first name. My loving wife and I chose our son’s name before we even married. She died of her cancer and we had no children. Later in life, it simply became too late to have children. Being childless, my son’s name was never used … Until I became an author. To honor the son I never had, I took his name as a Pen Name. In so doing, I’ve become a personal trinity … The father, the son, and the Author.
No offense intended towards our Creator and the Holy Trinity … The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
When I decided to publish as an Author, I joined a writer’s association to seek help in getting my books published. My association allowed the use of Pen Names so I officially registered under one of my Pen Names and introduced myself as “David Author” at my first meeting. It was interesting, entertaining, and fun to be an Author named “Author”. It was ironic that three months later, one of my books became a #1 Best Seller. It was under a different Pen Name, the Pen Name chosen to honor the son I never had! At the next author association meeting, I found myself proudly announcing my multiple #1 Best Seller status under my son’s name to my fellow authors. Afterwards, I had two months of difficulty in reregistering under my son’s Pen Name because the author association only allowed the use of a single Pen Name. Of course, I now wanted to be known under the Pen Name that had #1 Best Seller status attached.
It was a major identity crisis! I had to choose between my Given Name, David Author, and the status of my other Pen Name (my son’s name) as a #1 Best-Selling Author.
As far as the author’s association went, my son’s name eventually prevailed. I’m known by his name within the association and delighted to have such high recognition attached to this honorific Pen Name. At the time of this writing, I’m a 13-time #1 Best-Selling Author on Amazon (under my son’s name), and a #1 Best-Selling Author (as David Author)
Oh … I have another Pen Name or two … Or was it several more?