Thousands of people change their names every day. Sometimes it's because of marriage, or divorced, or parents who name a child Seymour when their last name is Butts.
Whatever the reason, it's relatively easy to change your name in many states. However, there are often restrictions. You can't change your name to anything obscene, or to the name of a celebrity or to escape justice. As long as your intent is innocent, you can usually dive into the legal paperwork and rebuild your identity, starting at the dotted line.
But while some may change their names to erase the memory of embarrassing nicknames, others choose names that support their favorite movies or causes.
Unusual Names
Optimus Prime -- A member of the U.S. National Guard from Ohio recently changed his name to that of his childhood hero, the leader of the Autobots in the Transformers world of toys and movies, at age 30. He wasn't the only one to modify his moniker after those metal men.
Jason Megatron Burrows -- In the midst of the hype before the "Transformers" movie release, Jason kicked his given middle name, Michael, out of it's home in his signature and adopted the mechanical menace instead.
Obi-Wan Kenobi Briggs -- When a school teacher from North Carolina decided Jennifer was not cutting it as a first name, her light saber didn't even trip the metal detector at the courthouse.
Microsoft Zune -- A Zune tattoo on both arms wasn't enough for a fan of Microsoft's digital media player, so he wants to change his name to support Microsoft's attempted iPod-killer.
KentuckyFriedCruelty.com -- One activist changed his name to support PETA's anti-KFC campaign.
They -- Well, you know what they say. At least, one Missouri man does. He chose They, no surname. At least They acknowledge that it might drive grammarians crazy.
Whether for the love of characters, causes, computer accessories or comic relief, one thing is clear: These names are awfully difficult to forget.
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