Yes, it will be in all these places. But in for example Sweden that is more of a convenience rather than of any actual significance. What is really used is your national identity number.

I virtually never write my entire name in forms. I bet I could use a pseudonym or fake name and nobody would care as long as the identity number is there. The only exception is passports where my legal name is important.

If we're talking about legal purposes, then names are a pretty poor primary key. In such situations, SSN or other UUID would be superior.

For any recreational/social purpose, what's the point of requiring legal name? How many "John Smith"s are there in the world?

The SSN is technically a NUID, not an UUID. So legal names are more important in international context (an Indian SSN doesn't mean anything in the US, for example).

But yeah, assigning GUIDs to everyone born in the world, like as "a93sz0sz" would allow uniqueness for thousands of years.

Yet somehow, I doubt many people would appreciate that kind of uniqueness...

Actually legal names are a problem even within the US. I recently had problems with getting a California driver's license because my second middle name was abbreviated on my green card, but spelled out fully on my North Carolina driver's license, which I was transferring to California.

You mean your legal name is used in legal scenarios? Say it isn't so...

Guess what, my "street name" is used in "street" scenarios, my "immediate and extended family name" is used by my immediate and extended family (not my legal name btw, nor has it ever been).

What makes the legal name special in any regard? They are all used in their niche.

Your examples only make a legal name important if you consider these things important. I don't, and they aren't. Part of why we need to get rid of the concept of a legal name is exactly for this reason. A government has no business and no authority to decide who I am.

You are not your name. The fact that you have an official name does not mean the government is "deciding who you are." And beyond that, in most places, you can choose which name is your official one if you care that much about it. I do not understand what your beef is here.

If you don't think that Facebook should require your official name, I get that. But trying to deny that people generally have one seems odd.

They don't decide who you are...you tell them.

More accurately, you have the option to tell them. In most cases somebody already told them on your behalf.

Government tracking methods and Facebook are two different worlds, though, aren't they? (I know I left the door wide open for a sarcastic reply)

No. There are, in fact, ongoing discussions in the US about Facebook being used for authentication at banking and government sites.

But which legal name? I (along with everyone in this country) have 2.