This comes up from time to time. Some of the replies you get will be less than honest. People will try to represent themselves as who they would like to be, which may be very different from who they are. But I am going to give it to you straight.

I picked the name "Howard" because it is my grandfather's name, and I wanted a name that sounded like an old man. I'm actually 17, but I thought I'd add 50 years or so just because it would get me more respect. I know there are some other 17-year-olds on here, but I have been 17 a lot longer than they have. After a while, you get pretty good at being 17. So I thought, why not be an old man? I could present him as being someone who still likes the same things that a 17-year-old likes, such as pizza and motorscooters, but with the wisdom of age. I could make him slightly bald-headed, forgetful, and just a bit creaky in the joints, but still keep my 17-year-old outlook. It's a best-of-both-worlds kind of thing. I knew that hiding behind a computer screen would make it easy to get away with the deception. So I became "Howard." Nobody gives that name to their kids anymore. If I posted under a mame like Aaron, you would never believe that I was an old man.
Aaron