Immigrants who come to America have changed their names to help them assimilate since the nation's beginning. Fashion designer Ralph Lauren was born Ralph Lifshitz. Donald Trump's grandfather changed the family name from Drumpf. John Del Signore was formerly Hamilton Hollingsworth. But when it comes to the NYPD, the process of assimilation is more of a process of elimination in their hunt for terrorists. The AP reports that the department has been closely tracking Muslims who change their names. more ›

Besides the thousands of people he cheated, Bernie Madoff has a secondary set of victims—the innocent folk how share his now-notorious last name. Madoff’s daughter-in-law is trying to change hers, and now others Madoffs are coming out of the woodwork. One says the family moniker has become a daily burden: “I eat out a lot, but I stopped using the name Madoff for reservations altogether,” Harriet Madoff told the Times, adding that “My last name has become ‘Madoff-Not Related.’” She’s not the only one to repeat that refrain. more ›

Stephanie Madoff may be married to Ponzi schemer Bernard Madoff's son Mark, but she sure doesn't want to be saddled with the infamous last name. The Post and Daily News report on how she applied to change her and her children's last names because of the "embarrassment, harassment and endangerment associated with the name." more ›

For hundreds of transgender people trying to establish new identities, Manhattan courts have played a crucial role. Nearly 400 transgender people have sought and been granted name changes either from male to female, female to male or ambiguous, making New York a name change capital of the country. They've enlisted the help of city advocates who specialize in the emerging field of transgender law—now the network is almost 200 lawyers strong. more ›

After initially thinking that they would rename the 7 Train subway stop in tandem with the new ballpark, the MTA announced that the train stop closest to the Mets' new digs will not carry the name "Citi Field" after the team refused to cough up any money for the station's name change. The station is nearly halfway through a planned $40 million in renovations to go along with the opening of the new stadium and the MTA had hoped to help pay for the work with a portion of the $20 million a year the Mets are receiving in naming rights from Citigroup. The team apparently wasn't eager to spread the wealth however and now the station will simply be renamed "Mets/Willets Point," the nearby LIRR station carrying the same name. On the upside, at least the MTA avoids the possibility of being forced into renaming the station again with no one exactly holding their breath that Citi Field (or as some are calling it, Debits Field) is a moniker that will last through the economic winter. more ›

When edgy chef Marc Forgione (pictured) opened up his urban-rustic restaurant last summer in a former TriBeCa dairy warehouse, he decided to call the place Forge, after his nickname. But, oopsy, there's already a Forge restaurant in Miami Beach, and in due time owner Shareef Malnik accused Forgione of trademark infringement. So this month he re-christened his place "Marc Forgione" to avoid a costly lawsuit and spare potential customers the confusion of getting lost in Florida on their way to his restaurant. more ›