Reader Allison Najman made a great point in the comments on my post on personal branding. She wrote:
It also helps if you have a unique name that no famous person or sports player has. You know, something like Najman :)
Allison is a great point. You need a name that stands out, so change your name. If your parents were cruel and gave you a name like John Smith, change it to something more exciting. Velociraptor Smith is a much better name. Not only does it recall a prehistoric, flesh-eating dinosaur, there just aren’t that many Velociraptor Smith’s.
Given the choice between hiring John Smith and Velociraptor Smith, I’d go with Velociraptor. Why? It’s unique, it’s memorable, and it strikes fear into the hearts of my competitors. Changing your name not only improves your search results, it essentially rewrites what your personal brand is.
So be lazy but unique and make your name stand out so your work doesn’t have to.