Former Reykjavík Mayor Jón Gnarr says he will finally get to change his name now that he has moved to the United States, visir.is reports. As reported, Jón Gnarr has been trying to get his legal name changed from Jón Gunnar Kristinsson to Jón Gnarr, which he has gone by since he was a child.
He recently moved to Houston, Texas, to take up a position as writer-in-residence at Rice University.
According to the National Registry ‘Gnarr’ does not fulfill Icelandic naming laws and it’s not permitted to adopt a new surname.
Jón has said in the past that he would seek citizenship of another country so that he could leave Iceland, have his name legally recognized abroad and then return as a foreigner in order to be able to keep his chosen name. He has pointed out that foreign citizens are free to keep their last names when they move to Iceland while Icelanders must follow Icelandic tradition and law.
Jón announced on Facebook on Tuesday that he has received a social security number in the U.S. which gives him the right to go to courthouse in Houston and change his name.
