Omitting the surname

I will stop using my legal name online. Henceforth I am identifying as “Protesilaos”. The legal name—Protesilaos Stavrou—will remain in place for practical purposes. My surname is “Stavrou” (Stávrou, Σταύρου). It is the genitive case of the given name “Stavros” (Stávros, Σταύρος), which is related to the Greek word for “cross” (σταυρός). As is the norm among Greeks, this is the family name on my father’s side. Stavros (or variants) is a common name mostly among males but also for females (Stavri, Stavriani, Stavroula). By contrast, Protesilaos is an extremely rare name of ancient origin. I do not know anyone who has it. Because of the rarity or maybe uniqueness of my name, I never needed any qualifiers to specify who I am. People call me “Protesilaos” or one of its shortened variants (Protos, Proto, Prote, Prot). This also happens in places where others would normally be addressed by their surname. For example, public servants or bank clerks will spontaneously default to “Mr.…