# Show Full Name only in specific categories
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/show-full-name-only-in-specific-categories/393220
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [January 12, 2026, 12:02pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/show-full-name-only-in-specific-categories/393220 "2026-01-12T12:02:50Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@newbit1337](https://meta.discourse.org/u/newbit1337)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2026, 12:02pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/show-full-name-only-in-specific-categories/393220/1 "2026-01-12T12:02:50Z")
Hi all!
Is there a way to show the optional “Full Name” only in specific categories, or would I have to create a plugin for that?
Cheers,
newbit
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### Author:  [@Moin](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Moin)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2026, 1:07pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/show-full-name-only-in-specific-categories/393220/2 "2026-01-12T13:07:34Z")
Welcome to Meta 👋
What do you mean by “only in specific categories”? Should the names simply not be displayed in some categories, or should they really only be visible in some categories and not be displayed anywhere else, like, for example, in the profile?
Is it more about hiding the name so it won’t be displayed, or about protecting it from being discovered under any circumstances?
If it’s about security, you will probably need a plugin; otherwise, a theme component might be enough.
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### Author:  [@newbit1337](https://meta.discourse.org/u/newbit1337)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2026, 2:20pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/show-full-name-only-in-specific-categories/393220/3 "2026-01-12T14:20:52Z")
Hello and thanks for the quick response! Forget the categories, I phrased this poorly.
I was thinking about this:
A user registers with Username + Full name.
When creating a topic, they can choose if they want to show their username, or Full name.
Would this easily be possible without the security aspect?
If so, as I understand you correctly, for the secure version, where other user can’t see the other name in the profile, this would require a custom plugin, right?
Cheers and thanks for the welcome!
newbit
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### Author:  [@Lilly](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Lilly)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2026, 3:41pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/show-full-name-only-in-specific-categories/393220/4 "2026-01-12T15:41:23Z")
there is a similar feature request to your OP already here:
> [@Restrict exposure of full name to certain groups](https://meta.discourse.org/t/restrict-exposure-of-full-name-to-certain-groups/348873):
>
> Background We are trying to set up our site to strike a balance between open access and privacy concerns: The site is public overall; anonymous users can browse, and search engines can index it. Usernames are public. Real names (full name) and profiles are considered semi-public; they should only be exposed to other community members (not to webcrawlers or anonymous lurkers). Email addresses are considered completely private; only admins should have access to those (and access is monitored). …
from your use-case description in your second post, I think this would require a custom plugin.
> [@newbit1337](#):
>
> A user registers with Username + Full name.
> When creating a topic, they can choose if they want to show their username, or Full name.
> Would this easily be possible without the security aspect?
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### Author:  [@system](https://meta.discourse.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [February 11, 2026, 3:41pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/show-full-name-only-in-specific-categories/393220/5 "2026-02-11T15:41:36Z")
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