How did you choose your username?

I expect there's already been a thread on this, but the search function continues to defy me and the "Name Changes" thread has made me curious, so I thought I'd start a new one. 

I've been historyenne for years.  When I moved away from my home state for grad school, I had to sort out my own internet, so I signed up with AOL, which gave me a new e-mail address and allowed me to choose it.  I wanted something that would express both my undergrad majors--French and history--so I chose historienne, which means female historian in French, but AOL wouldn't let me have that so I changed the spelling slightly and have been historyenne ever since.  It's nice because it's uncommon, and I can generally use it without needing to add a bunch of numbers to the end, which I hate (ie historyenne385737@email.com)

So, where do your UKY usernames come from?  Do you use them for other things (e-mail, other forums, etc)?  Do they have special significance, or are they random?  Do you feel very attached to them? 

When I started out on AOL back in 1993 or whatever, I was Minnie Fay (from the musical "Hello, Dolly!").  Minnie Fay carried me for something like 10 years, but I really wanted a change. In 2001 when I found out my PSU webspace was going away after I graduated, I needed something to register for a website that would also identify me.  At the time, my favourite Barenaked Ladies song was Jane, which starts with the line "The girl works at the store, sweet Jane St Clair*".  My middle name is Jane. My first name is Rebecca, and a friend of mine from high school always called me "Becca Jane", thus, Becca Jane St. Clair was born. 


*BNL got the name from a street corner in Toronto. The corners of Jane & St Clair streets. They saw the sign and thought it'd be a nice name for a girl!

(my other often used online handle comes from a Brothers Creeggan song of the same name. Brothers Creeggan is Jim from BNL and his brother, former BNLer Andy. BNL seems to rule my life....)

I wanted something that would express both my undergrad majors--French and history--so I chose historienne, which means female historian in French

I had a feeling you were a history major or history teacher.  I didn't figure on the French part of it though!  

I have always used my real name (short for Andrea, the spelling was courstesy of my parents) for every online forum I've ever participated in except one.  I don't have anything to hide, I'm pretty careful about stuff I say online (I learned my lesson big-time once years ago).  

I just like people calling me by my real name.  Usernames, for me, feel fake.

Navie is my gaming tag/gamer handle.  It's the name of all characters I've played across all online games (like World of Warcraft... my druid is named Navie). It's the alias under which I writer gaming articles for various sites. It comes from the fairy in Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time called "navi"

Becca--I remember your BNL name background from another thread, but where did AnnaOnTheMoon come from?  I think that one is really pretty and evocative.  

(BTW and a bit OT, the forum hyperlinked the fake e-mail address I made up, which makes me giggle)

WebyJ is a nickname that my best friend (at that time) gave me in High School when we were 14 years old. I first used it in a chat room in 1994 and when I had my first internet access at home in 2000 I was on AOL as WebyJ...and now almost 21 years from the first time I was called it...I'm still WebyJ. Though only in cyberspace...my friends know my real name .

Becca--I remember your BNL name background from another thread, but where did AnnaOnTheMoon come from?  I think that one is really pretty and evocative.  

(BTW and a bit OT, the forum hyperlinked the fake e-mail address I made up, which makes me giggle)

LOL, let's all send email and see if it's real!

Anna On the Moon is a Brothers Creeeggan song. The first time I heard it, I absolutely fell in love with it and started to identify with it.  Particularly the line "by the old big dip, I saw it take a sip", because I have freckles on my arm in the shape of the big dipper. Here's a link to them singing it on Ships & Dip at my request:  (and see his upright on the floor? I totally tripped over it while talking to him after the show.)

The funny/ironic thing is that the song was written about Jim's wife. I had no idea at the time when I picked it, so the first time I talked to Jim after a show I apologized to him for using it!  He told me he was flattered and happy it was being used...and after that, he always recognized me at shows!

A lot of people think Anna is my real name, too, which is kind of hilarious.  The guy I dated before I started dating Tim actually kept forgetting my real name wasn't Anna since we had met on IRC where I was using "annaonthemoon" (ironically, the same IRC channel Tim and I originally met on....I was actually dating that guy when I met Tim IRL for the first time!)

it's a tori amos song. i like it.

Nice topic!

I chose AmericanMum as my email when I moved from the UK back to the US in 2000 because I had to do get a whole new internet provider. It was a novel thing back then that all the members in the household were calling me "Mum/Mummy" even though I always referred to myself as Mom/Mommy. I thought it captured our blended background nicely. I have been using AmericanMum for my email and usernames since. Funny how it fits more than ever once again in my life.

And here's to you, Mrs. Robinson
Jesus loves you more than you will know (Wo, wo, wo)
God bless you please, Mrs. Robinson
Heaven holds a place for those who pray
(Hey, hey, hey...hey, hey, hey)

I prefer younger men, and my hubby is 5 years younger than me (although not the youngest I've spent time with  ), and so it's like a silly joke kind of thing. 

Love it, MrsR! You go girl!

Oh MrsR you Rock!! 

 

Oh MrsR you Rock!! 

Totally.  I love that song and can't believe it never occurred to me that it inspired your username.  I actually thought your DH's last name might be Robinson 

Heheh - I used to be carolyn_b -- along the lines of my real name, but that was a bit boring, so I switched it.