Wikipedia:Changing username/Simple

[[:|WP:CHU]]

The user name Wikipedians choose for themselves is no longer set in stone. On request, Bureaucrats can change user account settings and article histories such that all previous edits of a given user are attributed to the new name using Special:Renameuser. Note - you must make the request from the account you want renamed; anonymous requests are ignored for security reasons. (Historical note - In the past, this page was used to log requests for developers to manually change attributions and usernames. This practice has long since been discontinued by developers as being too time consuming for the few number of developers available)

See also: The Wikimedia m:Privacy Policy, m:Right to vanish

Currently, only users with fewer than 6800 edits can be renamed (edit counter). You can only be renamed to an account that does not exist. If you have very few edits, it is far quicker to just create a new account.

Requesting a change

To change your user name on the English Wikipedia only, please make your request on this page.
To change your user name on another Wikimedia project that has a local bureaucrat (see Special:Listusers on your wiki to check), please ask one of those bureaucrats.
To change your user name on another Wikimedia project that has no local bureaucrat, please ask a steward at meta:requests for permission.
Re-attribution of edits from an anonymous account to a username can not be carried out by bureaucrats. Please see Wikipedia:Changing attribution for an edit.

Alternatives

Instead of changing your name, you can change your preferences to change your signature. This will change your "public appearance" on talk pages without requiring costly changes to the database. All your edits will be attributed to the same user. Although it will be your Username and not your sig that appears in page histories, most public interaction here goes on via talk pages. If you have the desire and the patience, you can use "What links here" from your User: page to manually edit all your old signatures to use the new sig as well (probably not necessary in most cases).
You can simply create a new account with the desired name, and redirect your old User: and User Talk: pages to your new account. Put a note at the top of your new User: and User Talk: page to explain the change. This does not merge your contributions history; but anyone investigating the old edits will be redirected to your new one. Again, if you have the patience, you can use "What links here" from your old User: page to manually edit all your old talk page signatures to display the new sig as well, using a piped link of the form [[User:OldUserName|NewSig]]. Use an informative edit summary so that people do not think you are tampering with someone else's entry on a talk page (a definite community no-no).

Instructions

Please follow the procedure carefully or your request will not be fulfilled.

Check you have fewer than 6800 edits (edit counter).
Check the new name you want does not exist (Special:Listusers). Do not create an account under the new name.
Sign in with the account that you want renamed.
Add your request in the section below.
If you are a sysop, please note this fact with your request so that the necessary changes can be made.
Once your request is dealt with, all edits from your old account will be reattributed to your new account.
You should check that the old account has been recreated and blocked to prevent someone else creating the account and impersonating you.
You will probably want to move and redirect your userpage and talk page after changing.

Current requests

Please put new requests at the end of this section. Fulfilled requests will be moved immediately to Archive4.

Please note that renaming users puts a large load on the database. Please do not request a rename unless it is necessary. If you have only a few edits, see the alternatives above.

JaroX

As soon as I created my account I noticed I wrote it wrong and decided to come here and straighten the name issue right from User:Jlarnos to User:JLarnos. But when I read what had happened to Jossifresco I got a bit scared and really wouldn't like to show my surname around, so I'd like my username to something less personal like User:JaroX. -- JaroX 21:10, 13 December 2005 (GMT+2)

Cleon Teunissen

I would like to have my user name User:Cleon_Teunissen changed to User:Cleonis
The edit counter rates me at 1300 edits so far.
Admittedly, there is no pressing necessity.
I created my user account in the beginning of 2005. I did not anticipate that wikipedia allows Google to also search and index the Talk pages, I was quite surprised to start finding myself in Google searches. My current user name is my full name. I'd like better privacy, so if possible please change my user name, so that in due course the Google caches will no longer have pages featuring my name. --Cleon Teunissen | Talk 00:34, 14 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

J.R. Hercules

Hi. My request involves reattributing edits that I made under an anonymous IP (User:70.111.10.89) to the list of edits I have made under the name User:J.R. Hercules. If you check some of the edits under Bill Tilden and Leon Trotsky, as well as some of the correspondence I had with User:DakotaKahn, you'll see that User:70.111.10.89 and User:J.R. Hercules are indeed one and the same person. Thanks in advance. J.R. Hercules 01:25, 14 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Sorry, but we cannot reattribute edits made under an anonymous IP. Warofdreams talk 10:41, 14 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Apjake

I respectfully request that my username be changed to User:Search4Lancer. My current username, Apjake, not only incorporates my first name, but it is a username that I have not been known by on any other site for years, and I haven't the slightest idea what got into my head to make it my username here. I think it was because I wasn't expecting to be as active as I am and plan to be in the Wikipedia community. My edit count is enough that I don't want to lose all those edits. Thanks! Lancer Sykera 11:31, 15 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Lillabullero

If possible, I'd like my name changed to "Lillabullero"--Second thoughts about using parts of my actual name. Thanks! Bmschmidt 18:09, 15 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Requests from users with over 6800 edits

These requests will not currently be fulfilled; but may be in the future. See also m:Changing username for other complicated requests

User:Kevin_baas to User:Kevin Baas signed: 23:18, August 16, 2005 (UTC)
User:Snowspinner to User:Phil Sandifer Snowspinner 16:25, 24 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]
User:Dcoetzee to User:Deco - For privacy purposes. Currently I have User:Deco registered and redirect it to my user page, and additionally I use it in my signatures. 23:29, 7 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Jossifresco

Since becoming an admin and being very active in RC patrol fighting vandalism of Wikipedia I started receiving a large number of hate email, some of which are quite frightening in their tone. My current user name is also my real name and I am concerned for my privacy. I would kindly request to chage it to User:jossi or user:jossif if not available. Please note that I have more than 9,000 edits, and I know this may be a problem, but I need to do something about it before something bad happens.≈ jossi fresco ≈ t • @ 16:59, 13 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Karol

I would like to change my current user name, User:Karol Langner (my actual full name), to User:Karol. Unfortunately, I have about 80 edits more than the 6800 limit. I hope that's not a big problem, because the change is important to me, due to privacy concerns. Karol 10:38, 14 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

There is already a User:Karol, although they have not made any edits. If this is you, please sign in and confirm. If not, User:Karol L is available. Warofdreams talk 10:45, 14 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think so. Before, I didn't really know how to check that, so I figured if there's no page then it's free. I then played around with the 'create account' page and realized WP creates an account even if I leave the password field blank (I created User:Karol L by mistake, sorry for that, you can delete the account)! If User:Karol is inactive, can't I take over the account? Karol 17:43, 14 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Requests to usurp an existing account with no edits

Occasionally, someone will request to be renamed to an account that exists (has been registered) but has not made any edits. While there is precedent for making such changes, as yet there are no guidelines for handling such requests.

Please move User:Fito to User:Tiko. Thanks.--Fito 00:42, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
- User:Tiko already exists but has had no edits.. Secret london 02:56, 21 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Please delete User:Havoc, this name is registered, but no contributions were made using this name. I come from the german part of the Wikipedia using this name and want to have one identity within the Wikipedia. Thank you. (I see no reason why a member(name) that only exists on paper should not be deleted for someone with the intention to use it)de:User:Havoc 12:12, 25 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
- There are plans to have one sign in for all Wikipedias. This would give you one identity in Wikipedia. Someone having your name in en.wikipedia would cause problems with commons, wikisource and other cross language projects. We don't have the ability to delete user accounts anyway. Secretlondon 12:36, 25 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  - But this name is not used by anyone and only exists in en:wikipedia. The Username "Havoc" in commons is registered by myself, as well as "Havoc" in MetaWiki. When there is no chance of deleting it, maybe there is a chance to assume control by editing the e-mail address of this account, it would have the same effect because i don´t have an account within the en:wikipedia, yet. de:User:Havoc 16:23, 25 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Please delete "Moxons", it was only experimental. Thanks --moxon 23:02, 1 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
- Deletions are not possible. =Nichalp «Talk»= 12:41, 2 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Please change my name from ZZq to A. I go by this user name in many online communities such as slashdot and would like to use it here as well. User exists but does have zero edits. Thank you for considering this change. ZZq 08:46, 2 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
- I'm afraid we can't take over an existing account. =Nichalp «Talk»= 12:41, 2 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  - With all respect, then what is the point of this section? ZZq 19:48, 2 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
    - If and when it happens. =Nichalp «Talk»= 04:26, 3 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Please move User:AmbientArchitecture to User:Aldaron, a user that already exists but has had no edits. AmbientArchitecture 21:37, 11 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
Please delete user:Brian NZ, I think that it might be trying to imitate my account Brian | (Talk) 05:58, 12 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]