Witty fake surname instead of "Tan" for Facebook?

March 12, 2014 4:40 PM

I don't want my real surname, but I want something that would let people who know me make the connection. Ideas?

For obvious reasons, I don't want my Facebook profile to come up in the results of a Google search of my real name. But when I "friend" people, I want the fake name to sort of resemble my real name, such that people know it's me.

posted by anonymous to Computers & Internet (36 answers total)

Sunkissed
posted by jaguar at 4:46 PM on March 12, 2014 [1 favorite]

Khaki? Beige? You have a whole color palette to work with.
posted by charlemangy at 4:47 PM on March 12, 2014 [1 favorite]

ecru, sand, beach, leather, hide
posted by bruce at 4:55 PM on March 12, 2014

Buff!
posted by nomis at 4:56 PM on March 12, 2014

f = y(x)
posted by solarion at 4:57 PM on March 12, 2014 [3 favorites]

Tawny has the advantage of similar spelling to the original.
posted by nomis at 4:58 PM on March 12, 2014

mocha or just moka
posted by bruce at 5:00 PM on March 12, 2014

I have some box that's checked in my fb privacy settings that makes it so googling for my pretty unusual name turns up many things except facebook.
posted by rtha at 5:09 PM on March 12, 2014 [2 favorites]

You could just use T instead of the full name. That's what I do for my Facebook account.
posted by quaking fajita at 5:09 PM on March 12, 2014 [1 favorite]

Would Tanfana, an ancient goddess, or Tanning work?
posted by travelwithcats at 5:40 PM on March 12, 2014

Sineovercos
posted by Maecenas at 5:58 PM on March 12, 2014 [3 favorites]

Tanonymous.
posted by Kerasia at 6:12 PM on March 12, 2014 [8 favorites]

Tanne

Middle initial "T" last name "Ann"
posted by powpow at 6:18 PM on March 12, 2014 [2 favorites]

I've seen people do things like replace the A with a Cyrillic one (copy/paste it). It looks pretty much exactly the same but since it's a fully distinct character, normal searches shouldn't bring it up.
posted by threeants at 6:23 PM on March 12, 2014 [1 favorite]

"let's talk"

or just put a diacritic on it.

note that Facebook has gotten smarter about this. If any of your siblings are using your real last name and people search for your real full name, it'll return you.
posted by batter_my_heart at 6:25 PM on March 12, 2014 [1 favorite]

Dun
posted by brujita at 6:30 PM on March 12, 2014

Taupe?
posted by Gneisskate at 6:37 PM on March 12, 2014 [1 favorite]

If any of your siblings are using your real last name and people search for your real full name, it'll return you.

Are you sure? Plenty of people on fb use my full name (in tags, listed in friend lists, etc.) and my facebook presence does not appear in google searches.
posted by rtha at 6:50 PM on March 12, 2014

Isn't there a setting to keep your profile off the search engines? There used to be for sure.
posted by COD at 7:02 PM on March 12, 2014 [1 favorite]

Tan > Tangerine > Mandarin
Tan > Tangier > Morocco
Tan > Sunburn > Aloe
Tan > Tawny > Owl
Tan > Tanning > Leather
posted by Mizu at 7:50 PM on March 12, 2014 [1 favorite]

Oh, sorry, I misread. You turn up in Facebook searches. I don't know about Google searches.
posted by batter_my_heart at 7:59 PM on March 12, 2014

I have also misread - apologies.
posted by rtha at 8:10 PM on March 12, 2014

[Your first name] +
- Bronze God/dess
- Tantelope
- T. Andrea/w
- Tanope
- Arliss Tran
posted by maggieb at 8:36 PM on March 12, 2014

Tantastic
posted by TWinbrook8 at 8:44 PM on March 12, 2014

Swarthy
posted by greptile at 9:14 PM on March 12, 2014

Tantalizing Stan with a silent S.
All-Over Twist.
posted by pracowity at 9:15 PM on March 12, 2014

No surname says "fake tan" like "Boehner"!
posted by judith at 9:20 PM on March 12, 2014 [1 favorite]

Sin over cos
On preview - damn, way too slow!!
posted by tardigrade at 1:25 AM on March 13, 2014

Perhaps not witty, but Nat is serviceable and easy to remember.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 3:57 AM on March 13, 2014

Maybe this isn't witty... but you could romanize your last name with the Cantonese version (Tam) or the Singapore or Hokkien version (Tham).
posted by gemutlichkeit at 7:25 AM on March 13, 2014

Orange. (Fake tan!)
posted by DarlingBri at 7:32 AM on March 13, 2014

A professional tanner named Zonker is featured in the comic Doonesbury. (Zonker's hero is expert tanner George Hamilton. Or Hamiltan.)
posted by Jesse the K at 9:27 AM on March 13, 2014 [1 favorite]

You can also be Anon Hometown or Anon Painter, or some other description that fb will accept, but will not be effectively searched, while still identifying you.
posted by theora55 at 10:45 AM on March 13, 2014

Depending on ages, "Tanny Faye Bakker" might work.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 10:50 AM on March 13, 2014 [1 favorite]

How about "Tanfromthesun" ?

"Are you tan from the sun?" "No, I'm [your first name] from the Earth."

Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all week. Tip the steak and try your waitress!
posted by tckma at 1:43 PM on March 13, 2014

Tangent (like), Tangier, Tango, Tangerine, Tank - not witty but easy leaps for friends to make.
posted by cotton dress sock at 3:33 PM on March 13, 2014