I sometimes ask that question myself. What "real name" means is almost never clear; it's another reason why I dislike most "real name" policies. Many people g

I sometimes ask that question myself. What "real name" means is almost never clear; it's another reason why I dislike most "real name" policies. Many people go by a nickname IRL; in some circumstances, nicknames stick so closely that most of their friends don't even know their legal names. Changing one's legal name can be a difficult process. Many (most?) trans people's legal names are deadnames [0]. Facebook and Google+'s loosening of "real name" policies was partly done to address this very valid concern. [0]: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/deadname https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/deadname The concept of a "real" name assumes that people typically go by one name, and it forces people to choose the "realest" version of themselves. Often, they're forced to choose a version of themselves that isn't their "realest".