Original article (in Albanian) was published on 10/9/2025; Author: Jona Cenameri
On September 1, an Albanian Facebook user shared two photos of JD Vance, one from his childhood and one recent, with the caption: “A conservative who can’t even keep his own name, I’ve never seen. Same goes for James’s.”
The shared photo included the following text in English:
“Born as James Donald Bowman;
Grew up in the suburbs of Middleton, Ohio;
Not poor at all, went to Yale;
Changed his middle name to David;
Changed his name again to Jimmy Hamel;
Changed his name to JD Vance 10 years ago when he married his wife.”
Using Google Lens, a post on X was identified describing this meme as “misleading, with no factual basis,” clarifying that JD Vance’s name changes relate to his family history. Bowman is the surname of his biological father. Hamel is the surname of his adoptive father. Vance is his mother’s surname, which he chose to keep as an adult after his mother’s second divorce. The post also noted that Vance attended Ohio State and Yale with the support of the GI Bill, a government program that helps military personnel and their families pursue education, refuting the claim that he grew up in a wealthy family.
Other sources support this account. The Associated Press News and People.com report that JD Vance officially changed his name twice due to family circumstances. Meanwhile, Snopes classifies the claim as a “Mixture,” combining both accurate and inaccurate elements.
No reliable source references the name “Jimmy Hamel,” and the claim that the change to “Vance” was due to his marriage is false. The change occurred before his political career and reflects Vance’s personal decision to honor and identify with his mother and grandparents.
The claim is partially true. JD Vance has legally had three name variants (Bowman, Hamel, Vance), but the circulated post is manipulated. It introduces a fabricated name (“Jimmy Hamel”) and presents the change as questionable, whereas it actually stems from family circumstances and his choice to retain his grandparents’ surname.
This case demonstrates how memes and recycled images on social media can be used to spread disinformation by distorting verified facts.
