From Roberto to Beto: Why I Officially Changed My Name

I Changed My Name

Brazilian names are famously long, causing daily confusion with credit cards and bar tabs. After years of going by the nickname Beto, I seized the chance during my US citizenship application to legally shorten my name. I dropped the compound first name and simplified my last name to Dealmeida, reducing my legal identity from 35 characters to just 14. Now, I am officially Beto Dealmeida, though updating all my bank accounts remains a challenge.

"He was Roberto; I was Beto."