Why are some Americans changing their names?
- Written by Kirsten Fermaglich, Associate Professor, Michigan State University
For decades, native-born American Jews changed their names to improve their job prospects.Billion Photos/Shutterstock.comIn 2008, Newsweek published an article on then-presidential candidate Barack Obama titled “From Barry to Barack.”
The story explained how Obama’s Kenyan father, Barack Obama Sr., chose Barry as a nickname for...


