JD Vance has changed his name several times. Here's why

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The name JD Vance is currently one of the most recognizable names in US politics. However, the Ohio senator has gone through several iterations throughout his life.

Vance was born James Donald Bowman in Middletown, Ohio in 1984 and was given the name of his biological father Donald Bowman. His mother's maiden name was Beverly Vance.

His childhood nickname was JD, which, as he explained in his best-selling 2016 memoir, was pronounced “like 'jay-dot-dee'.” Hillbilly Elegy.

Vance's parents officially divorced when he was six, which he described in his book as “the saddest thing I've ever felt.” He also described a “revolving door of father figures.”

After the divorce, Vance took the name of his mother's third husband, Bob Hamel, and his middle name was changed to David – that of one of his uncles – while retaining his childhood nickname JD.

However, Vance didn't believe his mother's story that he was named after his Uncle David. “Any old D name would have sufficed, as long as it wasn’t Donald,” he wrote.

Still, “jay-dot-dee” was now short for James David.

When his mother erased Donald Bowman from his and her life, the adoption process also erased the name James Donald Bowman from public records. The only birth certificate for Vance on file with the Ohio Census Bureau reads “James David Hamel,” according to the state, as quoted by the Associated Press.

He spent more than two decades as James David “JD” Hamel and served in Iraq as a U.S. Marine – Corporal James D Hamel. But the situation gnawed at him, especially after his mother and adoptive father divorced.

“I wasn't sharing a name with anyone I really cared about (which was already bothering me), and with Bob gone, explaining why I was called JD Hamel would require a few extra awkward moments,” he wrote Hillbilly Elegy.

“Yes, my legal father’s last name is Hamel. You haven't met him because I don't see him. No, I don't know why I don't see him. Of all the things I hated growing up, nothing compares to the revolving door of father figures.”

He decided to change his name again to Vance – the last name of his beloved “Mamaw.” Vance's mother suffered from substance abuse and addiction and allegedly abused her children, which led to him being taken in and raised by James and Bonnie Vance.

Vance paid tribute to his grandmother, a union Democrat, during his acceptance speech following his election to the U.S. Senate in 2022.

“You won't always agree with every vote I take, and you won't always agree with every single amendment I introduce in the U.S. Senate, but I will never forget the woman who raised me,” said he said.

The official name change reportedly occurred not on his wedding day in 2014, as the book suggests, but in April 2013, when he was about to graduate from Yale.

Vance made the final change to his name after entering politics in July 2021 by removing the periods from “JD.” He had used this abbreviation, JD, many times throughout his life.

Asked by The Associated Press at the time whether the change was a formal one or merely stylistic, his campaign said Vance preferred to be called that in print.

He has maintained the use of U.S. Senator and referred to himself as J.D. Vance on his Senate website, in press releases, and in certain campaign and business filings.