Wikipedia:Username

This page is an official policy on Wikipedia. Many people agree with it. They see it as a standard way that all users should follow. When changing the page, please check that the other people agree with your changes. Use the talk page when you are not sure or when you want to propose a change.

You can create an account so that a username is shown beside the edits you make. A username is a way of telling who is writing something. This help people to communicate and to keep records. You can have a user page with the title of your username, and also a talk page, where people can leave you messages.

Usernames give people an idea of what Wikipedia is like. Usernames change what people think about other people and how they treat each other. We try to include everyone and be neutral. We try to be helpful to each other. We are writing a serious encyclopedia and usernames should not stop these goals. Names that are hateful, or that are made to shock people or show a strong view stop these goals.

The name does not have to be your real name, although some people think it is best to do this.

Please use common sense when you choose your username.

Offensive names policy

The name must not try to offend or upset anyone. Remember that other people editing here are from different places and they may be upset by different things. Here are ways to avoid offending people:

• Do not use the name of a politician, military or religious figures or events.
• Do not choose something that might be offensive. Your user name should not suggest that you hold any particular political, religious or other belief.
• People should be able to think things about you just based on your contributions, not on what they think about your name.
• User names which offend other people might make people not want to contribute to Wikipedia. It also distracts people from what they are meant to be doing - writing an encyclopedia!
• Some names do not offend people, but they show a strong view or are very religious. These names are discouraged but less serious than names that offend people.
• If someone complains about your user name, please think about changing it. If lots of people complain, you will have to change it. You can discuss this policy on the talk page.

How to change your name

The best way to ask for a username change is to contact a bureaucrat directly via email or a message on their user Talk page. Give them your old username and the new one you want to use. IMPORTANT: Do not create the new user account, the bureaucrat will create it.

Multiple username policy

There is no rule against having more than one username. But you must not use it for bad reasons. You must not use it to vote more than once. Do not make it look like people agree with you by saying things with different accounts. If you have a good reason that you do not want to edit under one username, that may be allowed. A user account that is used by another user but is not their main or first account is called a "sockpuppet".