Genuine names please

[Charles P]

After 49 years, people still don't believe it is.  However, it is.

And even when they do, their spelling is variable

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For a real answer to Nick’s question, I have an unusual surname and I prefer to ensure that anyone searching for me in a professional capacity doesn’t get distracted by the random and obscure comments that I may make on here. 
If reach retirement and have no other horses to ride (so to speak), I may take a different view. 

Mild obfuscation, but certainly nothing more.

[Nick Lettington]

I may have to change mine... as since my father's death, in the tradition of our European cousins, I am apparently able to use the title Nicholas baron von Hartman.  The positioning of the baron with a little b shows this to be typical of a Baltic barony, passed through male and female issue and not only to the first born... so not exactly exclusive. Then there's the small issue of my grandfather... who again harking back to different times, was neither Lettington (my father's step dad) nor Neilsen (his mother's husband) but a dashing Italian naval attaché in Tientsin named Giovani Anfosse... even given names don't always tell much of the story!

[Chris KC]

I completely agree with Nick that it's nice to know who you are talking to, and at times I find pseudonyms off-putting.
However at the same time we must not lose sight of the fact that everyone in the world with a computer or smart 'phone can access these pages.
Like Charles I have a job and a contract that could put me in deep water if I were seen to express publicly some of the views I hold privately (certainly if my employer's name was linked).
I also fear members are sometimes incautious about displaying details of expensive cars and tools they own, perhaps not realising how easy it is for a modestly determined crook to follow the breadcrumbs and figure out where they live. 
With my moniker I aim to strike a balance - easily recognisable to those who know me, a little less obvious to those outside looking in.

[Alan]

Charles and Chris make good points. I think it’s up to each individual to decide how they want to be identified on here. If they wish to use a nickname, it’s their choice and we should respect that.

[Nick Lettington]

They'd be disappointed if they went to great effort to find my garage!

[Ian Wegg]

Curiously I have twice been recognised from my avatar, it's a little disconcerting when a stranger addresses you by name.

I say curiously because the picture isn't me.

[Dave Wortley]

I quite like the name “Rupert Vansittart” (Call me “Rupe” for short) but there is an actor with that name so I’ll continue using boring old “Dave”.

[Derek Sheldon]

For the whole of my working life I was Ben. One of the real old guys new my maternal Grandfather who was nicknamed Ben after his father. I reacted against it not knowing the more you react the harder it stuck. I actually got to like it and many didn’t realise that it wasn’t my real name.

[Tony Griffiths]

I recall a conversation involving a friend's French nanny (I know, I know...) about family history. Without a shred of embarrassment, she explained that the male line on her mother's side was unknown - her grandmother used to be a prostitute (that is, she wasn't in the trade as a grandmother, but as a young lady, of course).

[Andy Bennett]

After 49 years, people still don't believe it is.  However, it is.

We believe, however we are not sure how to pronounce