 | This is anessay. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one ofWikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not beenthoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints. |
 | This page in a nutshell: Do not use people's real names on Wikipedia unless they explicitly invite you to do so. This applies even if you know that person and even if they have revealed their name on Wikipedia in the past. |
Editors on Wikipedia choose ausername when creating an account. By default, this is the name you should use to refer to them. If theysign using a different name or explicitly invite you to use their real name on Wikipedia, you may do so. However, just because you know someone's real name does not mean you should use it on Wikipedia.
It is an easy mistake to make if you have met the person off-wiki (elsewhere online or in person), but people who use their name in one context may not be comfortable using it in another.
If their real name has not been revealed on-wiki, it is a violation ofour harassment policy to use it. Even if it has been revealed in the past, while it isn't considered "outing," the disclosure may have been context-dependent and it is likely they still do not wish to be called by their real name. Call people by their usernames unless asked to do otherwise.