Wikipedia:Username policy/Examples

This page lists examples related to Wikipedia's user account policy, and some of the most common reasons why a username may be rejected.

Guidance

When using these examples, please use common sense. These are widely accepted examples, but are not 'prescriptive'; in each case there may sometimes be exceptions that apply. In borderline cases, it should not be necessary to immediately block the username but rather to attempt to discuss the problem. For instance, not every name that includes "Jimbo" is a misleading reference to Jimbo Wales or impersonating him; there are many people named Jimbo, and new users may not even know who Jimbo Wales is. Similarly, not every instance of profanity is necessarily disruptive, nor is every long name confusing.

Also, the following examples should not be taken as moralistic restrictions — Wikipedia is not censored. Using potentially offensive or ambiguous terms in your username should instead be avoided for the sake of community cooperation and etiquette.

Some older usernames that date back to before this policy, have been accepted, even if new names similar to these may not be created.

Examples

Reason	Examples
Confusing	User names must be reasonably easy to distinguish and use. Examples: Too close to another user's name Too close to some term which might be taken as having a particular (specific) meaning on Wikipedia Very long names, particularly without clear readability or clear breaks, or made up of apparently random or hard-to-check characters Likely to be problematic (eg certain character substitutions, or unnecessary heavy use of non-standard/non-printable characters)
Misleading	User names must not mislead, or give an impression that the user is anything other than "just a user". Examples: Implies user has some formal authority or position within Wikipedia, a connected body, or as a representative of some external body Implies user is some well-known figure, unless factually the case. (You will usually be asked to provide some way to verify this, such as an email from an address on that person's website. This can be done via OTRS if privacy is required.) Implies a "group" account (eg, "Military articles taskforce", or squad/team/firm/group), giving edits by that username an apparent weight which it usually does not merit. Implies an account that runs an automated process (a "bot") Implies a misleading point of fact
Promotional	User names are not allowed to promote a cause, body, or stance. They simply provide a convenient way to reference an individual human user, or occasionally, an authorized bot. A person editing with an account is not treated as doing so on behalf of another body or person. (Exceptions are exceedingly rare and require approval.) Examples: Names promoting a business, group, activist stance, or organization
Offensive or disruptive	User names are used to simply identify users uniquely. They may not be used to convey offensive or disruptive messages. Examples: Similar to names associated with problem users Contains improper personal information. Note: (1) you may disclose or use your own name, approximate location, or other non-contentious information, if desired, but be aware that if you do, it will remain visible to all users, in future. (2) Detailed contact information, including email, phone, street addresses, and the like, is usually not allowed in usernames. Contains attacks, or make strong (or implied) negative statements Alludes to disruptive activities, whether online (trolling, hacking) or offline (violence) Alludes to profanity, sexual matters, bodily functions, obscenities, or other vulgarity Indicates a controversial or potentially inflammatory stance or statement Disruptively advocative (for some item), or "negative" advocacy (against some item) Disruptively references religion, religious figures, or other matters where strong views may exist such as politics or beliefs May be perceived as defamatory, belittling, pejorative, discriminatory, or insulting to some group, people, (including people with an adverse medical condition, minorities, sexism, etc)