Lived Name Initiative

You learned ours. We'll learn yours.

Bowdoin College in particular understands how great it feels when someone gets your name right.

Since the Lived Name Initiative launched in January 2019, students, faculty, and staff may specify a lived name, a name they go by, that may differ from their legal name.

Your lived name shows as the default in Banner, Polaris, Workday, Degreeworks, Canvas, in the campus directory, in your Bowdoin email, and if you'd like, on your OneCard. That’s a lot of system integration!

This name practice benefits people who may prefer to use a middle name, who have changed their marital status or gender expression, or who use a different name in English than their native language or country of origin name.

Phase 2 launched January 2020

Phase two launched in January 2020, letting students, faculty and staff choose and share their pronouns within the Bowdoin community. Selecting pronouns is entire optional and easy to do online.

If a student selects pronouns, their pronouns display on class rosters in Polaris and Canvas, as well as in the student profile and on rosters of majors and minors within Polaris.

Faculty, staff, and students can opt to show their pronouns in the College's online directory, only when accessed on the Bowdoin network. For more information about how to designate your pronouns and where pronouns display, please see the instructions below. FAQs about pronouns are also available.

Whatever you go by, we’re happy you’re here.


We're looking for applicants who will push us to be a better place.

Here's how we build our community