Why did Ted Cruz change his name from Rafael?

Court librarians had set up a tutorial to help the justices and clerks understand how accessible and pervasive online porn is. ... Born Rafael Edward Cruz, he'd gone by the nickname “Felito” most of his life. ... Cruz wrote that his mother gave him the idea to change his name: “'Ted' immediately felt like me. read more

His full name is Rafael Edward Cruz. The diminutive of Rafael is Felito which is what he went by until he started getting teased at school. According to his biography he was made fun of in school because he did well & was a smart alec. read more

While Cruz suggested he had changed his name to manipulate Hispanic voters, O'Rourke identified himself as “Robert 'Beto' O'Rourke” to the El Paso Times in 2002 — 10 years before he won his U.S. Congress seat — for an article about a local 20K race. read more

When he was 13, Cruz decided to change his name to “Ted.” Born Rafael Edward Cruz, he’d gone by the nickname “Felito” most of his life. Cruz describes the nickname often resulted in him being teased. read more