I think only 3 people in the world share my first/last name combination. One of them has been convicted for possesion of child porn.

That's especially funny due to my interest in cryptography, and counter surveillance.

I have considered changing my name, but I am undecided. Advice?

Alternatively: you've got great cover for illicit activities. "It wasn't me, but someone else with the same name."

Though honestly, given the state of bureaucratic snafus, changing it might be wise.

A testimonial from a HN'er who did a name change for various reasons revolving around removing friction: http://www.flownet.com/ron/eg-rg-faq.html

I answered to an Indianized version of my name (Chris -> Krish, Krishna) when I lived there. A standard name just makes life simpler.

The only thing that really matters about your name is how you feel about it. If you cringe every time you hear it, or it somehow makes you unhappy, its probably time to change it. Hopefully you're a citizen of a country that readily permits such a thing.

The only time it'd be good to change your name for professional reasons is if you're coincidentally an investment banker called Bernard Madoff, but even then that could possibly be worked in your favor.

I think the name is just a correlation, not a causation. To put it bluntly, you won't fail because your name is "London", you will probably fail because you grew up with a parent that thought London was a good name for a person.

Changing your name is just hiding the symptom, not the cause.

According to the article, that's just part of it. They specifically pointed out cases where identical resumes with different names yielded different outcomes. (Where the names had strong associations with different ethnic backgrounds.) Now, statistically, different ethnic backgrounds will have an effect on people's lives, but for an individual, the parent's question might still be relevant.

Further to this, it would be important to include the names of siblings and parents along with their career paths. Someone who names their kid 'Orangejello' (pronounced: or-onj-ello) may not teach their kids the same things as someone who names their kid 'Tom'.

Even still, might it be worth it to change ones name if it makes a measurable improvement in the odds?

My real name is Richard Monroe Niksonn, which rules out a career in politics.

Right that's what I mean. Your odds go up in those situations by changing your name.