His original name was not Tutankhamun
Tutankhamun was originally named Tutankhaten. This name, which translates to "living image of the Aten," symbolized the worship of the sun god Aten by Tutankhamun's parents. After a few years in power, the young king changed his belief system, gave up the Aten, and began to worship Amun, who was regarded as the supreme god. Due to this, he adopted the name Tutankhamun, which means "living image of Amun."
The truth is that Tutankhamun had five royal names, just like all of Egypt's kings. These took the shape of succinct statements that described the main objectives of his rule. In name only, he was:
- Horus Name: Image of births
- Two Ladies Name: Beautiful of laws who quells the Two Lands/who makes content all the gods
- Golden Horus Name: Elevated of appearances for the god/his father Re
- Prenomen: Nebkheperure
- Nomen: Tutankhamun
The names that were written in cartouches (oval loops) on his monuments are his last two names, which are now referred to as the Prenomen and the Nomen. He is known by the name Tutankhamun. However, the people recognized him by his prenomen, Nebkheperure, which means "the sun god".
