Will you rename in GW2?

I think I will, not sure what I'll rename to yet though.

Key questions:

If you rename, what will you rename to and why?
If you rename, will people you used to play with / associate with / otherwise know of you in GW1 still recognize you?
If you rename, will someone else steal your GW1 name?

In the case for GW1 to GW2, it's over 100 years in timeline difference. Therefore, making a new character name would be fitting.

im not going to change my name even though it does include the word monk.. + dont change your name... i can not stalk you without it...

Ill be changing it, but only because the account I linked to the HoM is so new. All the characters have goofy names, because I couldn't find anything decent that hadn't already been taken.

I suspect I'll keep to the theme of my current name templates; particularly if I go into PvP. I'm unimaginative on the name front and consistency helps with connections.

Changing, hate my names now, all incredibly unoriginal. I will gladly accept the new naming system.

I will keep my names. I've been in a number of guilds over the years, met people who said they will return for GW2, so it will be easier to get back together. Since they announced a long time ago that names will carry over, any new characters that I named were named with the races of GW2 in mind....a charr sounding name, a sylvari sounding name, etc. I never went for joke names to begin with, so I'm not tired of the names. Did learn that short easy to spell names are easier to deal with than a random assortment of letters and spaces. Also, names that have a short 'nickname' component to then are great in guildchat.

Mostly changing my characters full names because they are new characters, but I may keep one or two. I'm keeping the base part of several of my character names that I usually use between games. I'll think about it more when the game's actually out.
<-- Given I use that base name in most online stuff, at least for my main, won't be hard to recognize for friends.

I doubt somebody would use the exact character name for any of my characters, but most of the bases are rather common and I see similar names daily anyways. (Such as Amee, Amelia, Lilly, Miku, Oak, Shadow... )

I've got a couple of names that I will definitely carry over to GW2. I've got one or two that I'll tweak just a bit. And I've got a few that I won't be re-using.

I don't like my like my PVE toons name, and i'm to cheap/lazy to load my card, to use name changer. So I just made a PVP toon with the name I want, to reserve it.

That should work eh.?

if the character doesn't have a hall does the name still transfer?

anyway, if I play gw2 I will keep my naming scheme so I can reconnect with old friends

This. A lot of people I originally played with don't play anymore, so I will be sure to keep some of my same character names so that I can reconnect with these individuals. It will be fun to see how they're doing now and catch up.

I also plan on setting up new names, it all depends on what isn't reserved for GW1 players and if I can come up with something I like. With the classes all out and the races known, I've been trying to decide what all I will have and what to name these specific characters. Whether or not I will name certain characters based on their specific race is something I haven't decided yet. I'm in no rush to figure it out though, since we have plenty of time to do so.

My main and a few others I will keep. Some I will rename.

Yeah I'll be changing my names. I kind of want to do it now so I don't have to think about it later, but $15 for 18 letters and a space bar just doesn't seem worth it.

I plan to keep my names, though in response to one of the OP's questions, I would still be connected to my ingame friends anyway since our guild is moving to GW2.

Yes;

* mostly to a mono name, i was always annoyed because of GW's requirement of name+surname; more so, if i play a charr or an asura, i'd rather have a complementary name (and i'm not talking about combinations such as 'Grim Steelmaster', because they are all too pompous when not used by NPCs or in books; something like Hello Charry, Charrmander, Charrlie Chaplin, or simply a single name i like and somehow fits, is much more probable);
* /care;
* /care.

I'll be keeping this name. There's no reason that a descendent of mine can't have the same name as me. I suspect everything else I make will go under a different name though.

I'll be partially renaming, insofar as while I will be 'carrying over' 2 or 3 toons from GW1, I'll be adjusting their names to fit with GW2 races & lore (eg my main will be a Sylvari, so will be using a one word name for her, taken from my existing toon's name). I'll likely use more that a few of my existing names, simpy because I like them and want to keep them.

As far as being worried about someone stealing my GW1 names - I thought they were all reserved, providing you'd taken them to the HoM?

I will be keeping my names. I mean, with an elementalist called Amber Flameseeker, why would you want to change it? lol.

I'm also very attached to these names, so I'll probably not change them at all. Except my paragon's name. That can die in a fire.

I think some names I will keep other will go, mainly its a case of most of my character names were designed for Human or perhaps Elven characters.

Most likely they will sound pretty strange as Asuran Sylvari or Charr.

The other thought is to keep the last name and change the first so it appears to be a member of the same family.