The importance of being ourselves:Onomastic incongruence and the citizen-state relationship in selected European contexts

This paper explores the main characteristics and certain problematic aspects of legal frameworks concerning individuals who wish to change their own personal names, for any variety of reasons. By comparing a small selection of European contexts, with primary examples drawn from different parts of the United Kingdom, from Italy, and from Norway, it reflects upon what the differences in these frameworks can mean on a fundamental level, especially for those whose country of residence or state of citizenship does not necessarily align with their place of birth.<br/><br/>Drawing upon autoethnographic reflections from the author’s own experiences of opting to change his first name at a young age, the paper goes beyond the regulatory frameworks by elaborating upon the psychological concepts of conditions of worth and incongruence with reference to personal naming practices. It also elaborates upon the notion of onomastic dysphoria to describe the severe divergence that may emerge between an individual’s legally recognised name and their own self-concept.