The urban mythology around forced namechange is immense. I have read the Sami people were single named, and made by the Finnish state to adopt surnames, with a proscribed list of names (Stalin, Hitler..) they couldn't pick.<p>We were told (racist?) officials at Ellis island picked names like Goldwater for immigrants to make fun of them, but we are also now told this was pure myth, and more likely stories of German naming practices for absorbed Jews in the 18th and 19th century (Napoleon basically enacted emancipation for european Jews, and the emergent states acquired citizens as a consequence, as I understand it) carried forward.<p>If you are obliged to pick a name by petty officialdom, having fun with it seems like something some people would do. I think now we're aware how problemmatical a name can be (Little Bobby Tables) this is something wiser parents don't foist on their children.<p>A colleague from Indonesia has one name. Many Indonesians have one name. Most non-indonesian forms assume two, and demand a family name, so they double up their single name. It can make for some fun times presenting ID at borders.