Choosing Names

Language, Names, and Individual Identity

Learn about the relationship between name, identity, and tradition reflected in Inuit naming practices.

Reading

Race in US History

Learn how filmmaker Macky Alston learned about the history of his family name and its connection to his family's legacy in the United States.

Reading

Genocide & Mass Violence

Read excerpts that explore the importance of land and landscape to indigenous identity and culture.

Reading

Global Immigration

What does your name say about you? Use this essay by Chinese American teenager Jennifer Wang to explore the relationship between name and identity.

Chosen Name	Birth Name
Jay-Z	Shawn Corey Carter
Lady Gaga	Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta
Jon Stewart	Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz
Mark Twain	Samuel Langhorne Clemens
Muhammad Ali	Cassius Clay
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, Jr.
Nina Dobrev	Nikolina Konstantinova Dobreva
Jamie Foxx	Eric Marlon Bishop
Lorde	Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor
Charlie Sheen	Carlos Irwin Estévez
Nicki Minaj	Onika Tanya Maraj
Bruno Mars	Peter Gene Bayot Hernandez
Faith Hill	Audrey Perry
Lana Del Rey	Elizabeth Grant
Vin Diesel	Mark Vincent
Marilyn Monroe	Norma Jeane Mortenson
Dr. Seuss	Theodor Geisel
Dick Lewis Barnett	Dick Lewis Smith
Thomas Grant	Jeff Davis