When Ethan introduced himself he did so as Dr Goodspeed, which was Horraces surname in the '77 timeline. As far as I remember Ethans surname was Rom or something right? So it looks like we're getting more and more indications that the changes in the alt universe are pretty substantial.

i assume it's because he left the island with his birth mother amy goodspeed with the rest of dharma and was not raised as an other.

Ethan told Hurley his name was Ethan Rom when Hurley was checking to see if anyone of the survivors was not on the 815's passenger list.

In LaFleur Amy, Horace Goodpeace's wife, gave birth to a son who she named Ethan. Everyone pretty much guessed that Ethan Rom was actually Ethan Goodpeace and this just confirmed it.

I was more wondering where the name Rom came from. Also, the idea that Ethan could have been born in 1977 was, I thought, a stretch, since that would make him 12 years younger than the actor who plays him (no offense to William Mapother -- he's only two years older than me!). So until he actually called himself "Ethan Goodspeed," I had my doubt that the baby Ethan in "LaFleur" was actually him.

I always figured he was trying to pretend he could be confused with the name of Nathan Rome, one of the tailies.

I can never remember him actually saying his name was 'Rom' in the first season, but in the viral marketing for the first season there was a Oceanic Website, which you clicked on peoples seat numbers and it told you about them. Then once you had clicked them all, something came up saying ETHAN ROM then you had to slide the letters of the name in to some boxes, which then spelt out OTHER MAN.

So in short...ETHAN ROM is an anagram for OTHER MAN

Whether or not the name was stated in-show, it was simply meant to be a clever anagram. From a story standpoint, he may have taken on a different name when he joined the Others as a way of rejecting his past as a Dharma kid.

Whether or not the name was stated in-show, it was simply meant to be a clever anagram. From a story standpoint, he may have taken on a different name when he joined the Others as a way of rejecting his past as a Dharma kid.
Agree. I'm sure that as an Other, he didn't want a name that associated him with Dharma.

I can never remember him actually saying his name was 'Rom' in the first season, but in the viral marketing for the first season there was a Oceanic Website, which you clicked on peoples seat numbers and it told you about them. Then once you had clicked them all, something came up saying ETHAN ROM then you had to slide the letters of the name in to some boxes, which then spelt out OTHER MAN.

So in short...ETHAN ROM is an anagram for OTHER MAN

But the real weird part is if you anagram the last name of actor who plays Ethan, him being William Mapother, you get Other Map.

Where is this Other map, huh? Well, maybe it is all just a metaphor for something. Wait a minute. Metaphor is an anagram for Mapother, too. But so is to hamper, just as is...

Mmmm, I can see this is going to be sleepless night for me... Earth mop, Harm poet, He tap Rom... Oh no! That last one will cause a tangent to the first anagram... Help me!

There are a couple "good" names for some of the others:

Goodspeed
Goodwin

Agree. I'm sure that as an Other, he didn't want a name that associated him with Dharma.Well, Ben kept his surname, though he had more than enough reason to disassociate himself with his father's name....

I knew about the anagram, and that explains how TPTB came up with the name, but not where Ethan came by it, in-show, so to speak.