Formerly known as Preferred Name, Name in Use is a service that allows UW-Madison faculty, staff, and students to specify a first and/or middle name for campus display and community use.

Users can enter a name via the Name in Use (Preferred Name) module in MyUW. The name entered in this module will then be displayed in MyUW, class rosters, the UW Directory (White Pages), and most campus applications. Users can also enter a name via UW-Madison Profile.

• Service Users: NetID holders

• Availability: Same as MyUW and UW-Madison Profile

• Server Information: Runs on MyUW, Salesforce (UW-Madison Profile)

• Unique Support Conditions:

  • If related to using the Name in Use App, see MyUW Madison - Update Name in Use (Preferred Name)
  • If related to using UW-Madison Profile, see UW-Madison Profile Handling Information
  • Some customers may need to have their preferred last name differ from their legal name, for details see Name in Use (Preferred Name) - Exceptions to the Last Name in Use Procedure.
  • Other UW applications may also begin using Name in Use data, however, this will be at the discretion of the application administrator; only the three locations described above are guaranteed to integrate with Name in Use.
  • The Name in Use Terms of Service specifies that this service may not be used for purposes of misrepresentation. For this reason, administrators reserve the right to revoke name changes deemed inappropriate.
  • Users cannot request a NetID change based on a preferred name. (See NetID change criteria here: NetID - Changing Your NetID)
  • If a customer reports that a preferred name change did not process:
    • In MyUW: If the MyUW portlet still reads "Pending", verify the user has waited at least one hour and have them log out of and back into MyUW
    • In the White Pages: If the portlet processed successfully but White Pages data has not updated, verify they have waited at least two (2) full business days before escalating a case

Select an appropriate technical service, category and subcategory from the options below.

• Name in Use (Preferred Name)

  • General

    • Faculty Exception - Use this for cases related to Name in Use (Preferred Name) - Exceptions to the Last Name in Use Procedure. It will escalate to the IAM team. (Used to be solely for faculty but now exceptions for faculty and staff will be considered)
    • Submit Incident

For ALL incidents, gather the following minimum required information:

Clear, detailed description of the problem

Complete customer contact information

Copy/paste the following additional required information into the WiscIT Description field:

Click the text box to select all, copy with Ctrl+C.

Example Case:

• Official name: Buckingham Badger
• Preferred name (if it exists): Bucky Badger