Stormhammer Deathclaw Firebrand (n&eacute Richard Smith)

Richard Smith, a 41-year-old care worker from Carlisle, England, has legally changed his name to Stormhammer Deathclaw Firebrand: "It's just a strange name I like the sound of." English and Welsh name-changing procedures are much simpler than US equivalents: the ancient tradition of "deed-poll" name change has made it possible for people to change to all kinds of wonderful and wacky things.

Man renames himself 'Stormhammer Deathclaw Firebrand' (Thanks, Kendra!)

Previously:

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

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DarthVain

My personal favorite was the guy in the US army who changed his name to “Optimus Prime”.

My sister changed her name years ago. It seemed a bit of a trivial process in Canada. Fill out a form, and pay a small fee, and your done.

Of course you have to deal with the fact that all your other crap might need to be changed also, which could be a pain in the ass (bank accounts, bills, credit cards, etc…) Not to mention I don’t think Mom and Dad were too impressed at first, though I think they came around eventually.
GraemeM

He’s a care worker? Picture the scenarios:

Mr A (paranoid Schizophrenic [I bow the the spell checker]), meet Mr Stormhammer Deathclaw Firebrand. Aaaargh! says Mr SDF.

Or

Mr B (just out of hospital after being severely beaten up by thugs/hoodies/over-exuberant young conservatives, meet Mr Stormhammer Deathclaw Firebrand. Aaaargh! says Mr B.

Or

Police at the car window, what did you say you name is? please step this way and blow in to the bag.
Anonymous

I know of a bloke in the UK who changed his name to General Megatron Bison. I’m told his friends call him “Genny”.
RichZellich

Sounds like a name from Ray Lafferty’s “900 Grandmothers”.
- skeletoncityrepeater
  
  Also ‘Too Many Daves’ by Shel Silverstein. ‘Oliver Boliver Butt’
MrsBug

I wonder how this will go over on his eharmony.com account? :D
- Rich Keller
  
  Not so well. He might want to open an account at Geek2Geek, though.
Anonymous

And he will /still/ be referred to as “Dick” by all and sundry, the muppet.
floraldeoderant

Just another example of how OP shamans are.
nanuq

I’m sensing some overcompensation, here.
- skeletoncityrepeater
  
  Well, Overcompensation is a different blog, and it just makes fun of the people on the other blogs I read. It’s basically Something Awful in comic book form.
schwal

It’s not that hard in the U.S. either. Basically show up to a government office with your birth certificate and 20 bucks, fill out a form, and wait for your new one in the mail. Repeat for Drivers license.
BritSwedeGuy

I changed mine myself, got a couple of friends to sign a document that a drew up myself and then had the laborious taskof informing every institution – banks, DVLA etc.
Virgin Money were awkward so I just closed my account and opened a new one! Changing passport was really easy and once that’s done the rest are pretty much a doddle.
Anonymous

The basic rule in the US is that you may call yourself any name you want so long as it isn’t for the purposes of fraud. Filling out the government forms just makes it official for records.
Anonymous

That’s how you write it, but it’s pronounced “Sandra”.
- jtegnell
  
  “That’s how you write it, but it’s pronounced ‘Sandra’.”
  
  Or maybe even “Throat Warbler Mangrove”.