# User Naming Convention

**URL:** <https://meta.discourse.org/t/user-naming-convention/394068>\
**Category:** Community Building\
**Created:** [January 22, 2026, 8:49am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/user-naming-convention/394068 "2026-01-22T08:49:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 4

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**Author:** ![ToddZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/toddz/32/328350_2.png) [@ToddZ](https://meta.discourse.org/u/ToddZ)\
**Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 10:36am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/user-naming-convention/394068/4 "2026-01-22T10:36:30Z")

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Welcome, Bruce!

Both fields `username` and `name` are meant to represent the individual user. But there’s nothing stopping you from `name` differently, if it’s vital that a user’s company be that prominent.

I personally share Shirly’s preference & reasoning for real names, and feel that professional info is accessible enough in profiles. But it’s your forum, and you may have your reasons.

If you do leave things the way you have them, one admin setting you probably shouldn’t change is `Prioritize username in UX’, which defaults to active:  
 ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/4X/f/4/f/f4f80b2d28bd53f131b6cbf6f91ae984b853e906.png)

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