Curious about your usernames

[pne]

So, what's the story of your usernames? What made you pick them, or how did you come up with them?

Also, if you had a free rename token, would you change your username, or are you happy with what you have? (And what would you change it to?)

When I started my first job, our login IDs on the computer systems were usually three letters long: usually first letter of given name plus the first two letters of the family name, unless that combination was already in use, in which case they'd pick some different letters of your name (e.g. first two letters of given name plus first letter of family name, or first and third letter of family name, or whatever).

So "P"hilip "Ne"wton turned into "pne". And I've had that login for so long that I've grown rather used to it (or should I say, fond of it), and so I like to take that username if it's still available (and not prohibited by minimum username length policies or whatever).

So I was rather happy that "pne" was still available on LiveJournal, with its millions of accounts. I don't think I'd change it.

Sadly, my work login is no longer "pne" ever since we switched over to a new internal network a month or so ago: we belong to a much bigger company now, so logins have to be longer for uniqueness, and I'm "pnewton" in our Windows domain. Though on a number of internal systems, I'm still "pne".

Comments

[hidden-kitten.livejournal.com]

I got my LJ three months after I got Cleo. she was still a kitten and had taken to hiding under things and dashing wildly out in front of you. So, hidden_kitten I am. Also, I like cats. Plus, I get a username that people seem to think means more than it does.

I wouldn't change it, though; I get attached to little things like that, especially if they're been around a while.

On your work system, I would have been rfr, which sounds like Arfur, which is weird.

[wingflutter.livejournal.com]

'wingflutter' came about after a few years of being hayleigh22 which had been my first nickname on mIRC, back in the day. I felt I'd grown out of it and wanted something that represented me more. I wanted something with depth, something that meant more than it seemed to mean. I asked two friends for ideas. In the end, the finalists were 'childlikecho' and 'wingflutter'

I eventually chose wingflutter because at face value, one might take it to be the flutter of wings; a romantic image of happiness and peace, innocence and youth. But it is actually a piloting term: "a destructive phenomena occuring on control surfaces of airplanes whereby, due to improper flow of air over the said surface, the latter tends to oscillate about its chord direction. a vibration of increasing magnitude could be fatal." (the friend who suggested was at the time studying to be a pilot).

I'm still very happy as wingflutter. If I eventually had to change it, it'd probably be to 'accidentallykle' but I'm not sure I'd want to part with wingflutter anyway...

[tungol.livejournal.com]

I've long been a fan of Old English and of stars (the astronomical kind). I wanted my username to be steorra, which is the OE ancestor of our word 'star', and which I also think is an aesthetically pleasing word. But it was already taken, so I settled for tungol, another Old English word for star, but in my opinion less aesthetically pleasing.

If I could rename to 'steorra', I probably would, but it isn't available, and I'm content enough with 'tungol' not to try to come up with another alternative.

[ifeedformula.livejournal.com]

A long time ago, I started off with a different LJ--dixiechicken24 which was taken from the name of one of my favorite songs ('Dixie Chicken' by Littlefoot) and my age at the time. Shortly after I started that LJ, I became pregnant and throughout my pregnancy, I expressed a lot of doubts and fears as people tend to do. After I had my son, I realized that breastfeeding wasn't the right thing for me to do and I had no problem saying so. The boob nazis, however, thought this was wrong. They also took issue with the fact that I chose to 'babywise' my son. My LJ got bombarded with a ton of nasty comments and threats so eventually I shut it down. I realized I couldn't live without blogging though, so I opened a new LJ, the one I have now.
I chose the username I have now to piss the boobnazis off originally. I fed formula and I'm not ashamed of that. There is no reason to be, even if certain groups think that formula=rat poison.

[nyssa.livejournal.com]

Mine is....my name.

Because I am unoriginal.

But I wouldn't change it for anything! I try to use my real name whenever I can, because pseudonyms come and go, but my name will always be the same.

If I can't use nyssa, I use emakou...but I far prefer using nyssa.

[dampscribbler.livejournal.com]

There used to be a local newspaper columnist who wrote a column called "Writing in the Rain," which was about local writers and writing events going on here in the rainy Pacific Northwest. I always liked the sound of "writing in the rain," and somehow it inspired the "dampscribbler" name. I started using it first on Amazon.com for my reviews, and a couple of years later on my Livejournal. I don't think I'd ever change it now, at least not on this LJ, but if I start doing a Mommy blog or food blog or something I would like choose something else.

Edited for typo.

[lexabear.livejournal.com]

'lexa' is my nickname based off my full name 'alexandra', but it's unusual enough that I've used it online fairly frequently with very little oops-already-taken problems. I also like bears, and I'm cuddly like a teddy bear, so 'lexabear' is one of my friends' terms of endearment. I set up my LJ mostly to keep in touch with my friends, so 'lexabear' it became.

ooh, under your company's old login, I would be 'aha'! My company's login is first initial of first name, first 6 letters of last name, with numbers afterward for uniqueness. One of my coworkers is apparently the 36th mjones in the system. I'm the 7th of my combination, which I had thought was fairly unique.

[pne.livejournal.com]

Our new system is similar to your company's: first initial of given name, first seven letters of family name, with numbers if necessary for uniqueness.

So I'm pnewton, with my full last name, but others have to suffer truncated family names.

[volantwish]

I used to be "aurorawizard", but about five or six years ago, I felt like I was outgrowing the name. I really liked the word "volatile" at the time, and so I was looking it up and searching for related words and came up with volant. I waffled between "volantwish" and "volantdream" for a while and decided I preferred the looks of the former. It's really grown on me, and I don't think I would change it.

Edited because I forgot renamed accounts change the lj-user tag.

[nassus.livejournal.com]

My normal Irc/internet nick is grue (which I've had as a real life nickname for years since I was a teenager). Unfortunately it was gone when I signed up for lj and my backup of tigger was also taken. So it ended up being my name misspelt backwards as a play on nessus.

[leighbug]

Under your company's system, I would be "ago". Which...isn't taken on LJ. Hmmm.

Mine came from "lilgreenfish", which was my very first email address. Lil because I'm always the shortest of my friends, green because my favorite color at the time was green (it's blue now), and fish because I was an avid swimmer (don't have time now...!). Lilgreenfish was taken on LJ, so I changed it around, as I had already done for MSN.

If I could change mine, I would. I just haven't found one I'm happy with (I have the token sitting in my inbox waiting to be used), even though Regensturm is one I like, I'm not sure if I want it...although I do have that name claimed on LJ. I rather like ago, though. I shall add it to my list!

[nitaq.livejournal.com]

nitaq is the computer variety of the tlhIngan nI'taQ, but that's usually not possible.
nI'taQ was what I came up with when I joined the Khemorex and all had a Klingon name, so I wanted one too. It's a klingonification of my first name spelled backwards.
Up to then I always went with T'Pai cha'Sorik Talek-sen-deen, which is a Vulcan variety, and TPaichaSorik is still my name in yim and aim.

[pne.livejournal.com]

Up to then I always went with T'Pai cha'Sorik Talek-sen-deen

Where does that name come from? Does it have meaning, is it derived from your name, or did you simply like the sound?

[nitaq.livejournal.com]

I was and still am a big Spock and Vulcans fan.
So I had to have a Vulcan pseudo.
In one of the books Spock's full name is given as
IIRC Spock cha'Sarek Talek-sen-deen from the house of Surak.
So I took that and changed it around a bit.
Now I'm a bit embarrassed about it, but I still keep it because that name is never ever taken.
But it's difficult to spell out my email...