For most of us that acquire the English Language as our second language, there are always instances of getting confused at some point as to what is truly correct to say or write.
The issue of writing our names and introducing ourselves is not an exception in this case as I have heard people introduce themselves wrongly severally.
It is never their fault actually, it was a mere case of the information that they are privy to really.
So, today...we will tackle the issue of "My names are vs My name is".
Generally, introducing yourself doesn't end with saying your name (I am sure we all know this) but we will end it there today anyways.
When introducing yourself, it should take this format: First name, Middle name (If any) and Last name (Surname).
Because my name is so unique and you won't find another me(not to brag anyways),
The grammatically correct way of introducing yourself is "My name is"...
When stating your name, you are talking about one person (singular)
You used the singular pronoun "My" so a singular verb "is" should be used.
Don't say "My name is too 'much' and so I have to pluralize it". Your name is your name.
Even if you have 20 of them.
Saying or writing "My names are ……." simply means I have three different names in different contexts and it is so wrong of you (one person) to be introduced that way.
To every rule, there are exceptions...let's look at these two major exceptions;
‼️If a person with a real name and a nickname is asked to introduce himself/herself...
They might say...
"My names are Lourd Jefferson and Jeffy Striker."
‼️If a writer who writes under a pen name has to reveal their dual identity.
Assuming a food blogger popularly known as Chef No Pity has a cause to reveal their identity...She might say...
"My names are Sonya Bright and Chef No Pity"
Note:
- The use of "and" in the two aforementioned examples.
- The two cases are very special and come in handy.
Hence, "My names are..." is wrong and "My name is..." remains the correct way of introducing our names.
I hope we've settled this.