Changing from Tony Beak to Anton DuBeke is a little more pretentious than what you did so I'd say there was a difference

It doesn't matter if any of us think AJ is weird -- which I don't, by the way. It's AJ's choice what he wants to be called.


Isn't Anton's real name Anthony Beak? Tony is usually a short form of Anthony, not a name in its own right. Yes, the whole thing is somewhat pretentious, but the Anton part does actually make some sort of sense. Again, though, it's his choice what he wants to be called.

That's your opinion a lot of people shorten their names or get called by a second name. My son was called AJ whilst in the womb so that has always been my name for him, other people call him Alex, he is now 8 and wants everyone to call him AJ. He absolutely hates being called Alexander, doesn't mind Lex. When he's a teenager he may want to be Lex or Xander or still AJ...Do I care not one little jot, ultimately that's why I named him Alexander as its gives him a lot of choice. It's his name and he can be called whatever he likes whether other people think its silly or not.

so whats the difference to what I did and what AJ& Judge rinder are doing?

Think I'm a bit too young. Most of my friends wouldn't know the reference

Thankyou very much Bendy Mixer for satisfying my curiosity!

And thanks also to everyone else who supplied back-up info.

I don't get the difference?

That possibility didn't even occur to me! To people my age PJ and Duncan is such a familiar thing, but yes of course there must be a whole new generation who only know Ant and Dec as TV hosts, don't remember their former characters and have never heard their diabolical forays into pop music, (although that is obviously no bad thing).


Well no, Anton is a stage name isn't it? Presumably AJ is the same. I think Anton Du Beke is a good stage name, because it sounds theatrical and elegant, ideal for a dancer. While AJ sounds like a character in an American teenage TV show, where everyone looks perfect, but no one can actually act. Well that's the image that it conjures up for me anyway.


Yes, obviously it's their choice, I wasn't disputing that, and lots of people in the entertainment world don't use their real names. I was just trying to fathom why people want to be known by initials, just letters instead of an actual name.

It either sounds American/trying to be cool or very formal, i.e. not revealing your first name. I've always found it really odd. But clearly it's just me who thinks that.................