Survey Finds About One in Five High School Students Has an Original Signature

When chatting with friends, some people may have paused after being told, “Write your name here,” feeling that simply writing their surname was a little plain. Celebrities are expected to have signatures, but what do high school students who are not famous do in such situations? Wakamono Research, a marketing information site for teenagers and current high school students, conducted a survey of current high school students across Japan, both male and female, asking: “Even though you are not a celebrity, do you have your own original signature?” This article introduces part of the results. According to the survey, 22.2% answered “yes,” while 77.8% answered “no.” In other words, about one in five high school students has “their own signature.” When students who have a signature were asked why, many said they wanted to use it in situations such as message boards distributed before graduation, retirement messages for club activities, and profile books passed around during school festivals. Respondents said things like, “Just writing my surname normally feels a little plain,” and “I want at least my name in a message to show a bit of personality.” Some students decide on a signature in advance so they will not be stuck when they need one. Others create signatures by treating their names as design material. Comments included: “I do not really like my handwriting, so I want to design it to look cool,” and “When I connected the kanji like a single stroke, it suddenly felt artistic.” Some write this logo-like mark on the edges of notebooks or belongings, presenting it as “my own mark.” There were also students who imagine they might become famous someday and treat their signature as a rehearsal for the future. Examples included: “If I become an illustrator or manga artist in the future, I want to use this signature,” and “I decided on one just in case I become better known at dance competitions.” Creating a signature that their future self might use may help raise motivation toward their dreams. Other comments included: “I kept writing my name in the corner of my notebook, and the shape gradually settled,” and “Writing my name in the alphabet looked stylish, so I started treating it as my signature.” These students did not necessarily set out to create a signature; rather, they eventually realized that what they had made already looked like one. Such signatures seem to come from the simple enjoyment of playing with letters. On the other hand, among the 77.8% who said they do not have an original signature, many answered: “I am not a celebrity, so I do not think I need one,” “I have no occasion to use it, so I have not made one,” “It is enough to write my name normally on a message board,” and “Signatures are for celebrities.” Many students felt that signatures were unrelated to them as ordinary people, and they also sensed that there are few situations where they would need to sign something. Some also said: “Thinking up a signature feels a little cringe,” “I have no sense of style, so it would probably look lame,” “Even if I made one, I might feel embarrassed by it,” and “If it ends up looking lame, I would rather just write my name normally.” These responses reveal a sense of awkwardness or embarrassment about having a signature despite not being famous. The survey was conducted from February 13 to February 27, 2026, by Wakamono Research. The respondents were current high school students across Japan, both male and female. There were 284 valid responses, and the survey was conducted online.