Comedian Suzy Eddie Izzard Explains Why She Picked Her New Name

The British comedian and activist said she previously thought she couldn’t “redo” her famous name.
Eddie Izzard in 2022.
Eddie Izzard in 2022.
Dave J Hogan via Getty Images

Eddie Izzard is planning to legally change her name.

The British comedian and activist — who announced in 2020 that she prefers she/her pronouns — made the revelation on the “Political Party” podcast Tuesday.

“There’s another name I’m going to add in as well, which is Suzy, which I’ve wanted to be since I was 10,” Izzard said about an hour and eight minutes into the episode. “So, I’m going to be Suzy Eddie Izzard. That’s how I’m going to roll, so people can choose what they want. They can’t make a mistake, they can’t go wrong with me.”

Izzard also said that she will likely continue to use Eddie Izzard publicly as a comedian, but also admitted that “things move with time, so I don’t know.”

Izzard explained that when she was a child, she always identified with the name Suzy, but figured, “no, this is not going to happen.”

“And then ‘Eddie’ became this name,” Izzard said, referring to her famous name. “And I thought, ‘Well, you can’t redo that.’”

But Izzard began to rethink her name after she publicly announced her pronoun change.

“If I’m doing she/her, why don’t I add [Suzy] to the name?” Izzard said. “Because I have Edward on my passport, Edward is quite wooden and big, and I don’t call myself that. ... So I just thought I’ll add Suzy there, then Eddie, and people can choose what they want, and no one can go wrong. That’s kind of fun.”

Suzy Eddie Izzard speaks after receiving an honorary degree at Swansea University on July 25, 2019, in Swansea, Wales.
Suzy Eddie Izzard speaks after receiving an honorary degree at Swansea University on July 25, 2019, in Swansea, Wales.
Matthew Horwood via Getty Images

Izzard announced the name change while discussing her decision to change her pronouns, admitting that she makes “mistakes with my own pronouns” and felt indifferent toward them. That was until 2019, when she was given an honorary degree by the U.K.’s Swansea University. Izzard explained on the podcast that a “wonderful chancellor” gave a speech about her receiving the degree and used she/her pronouns, and it really resonated with the “Ocean’s Twelve” and “Ocean’s Thirteen” actor.

Izzard told the chancellor afterward that her use of she/her pronouns “hit some positivity on me, it just felt amazing.”

Izzard then opted for she/her pronouns in December 2020, when Sky Arts’ did a segment on her for “Portrait Artist of the Year,” and introduced the new pronouns, calling it “a little transition period.”

Izzard added to Sky Arts that “it feels great because people just assume that they just know me from before ... but I’m gender fluid. I just want to be based in girl mode from now on.”

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