With the exception of family members and a handful of public figures, Barack Obama says in the 2004 preface that he had changed names of others to protect their privacy. He also created composite characters to expedite the narrative flow.[26] Some of his acquaintances have recognized themselves and acknowledged their names. Various researchers have suggested the names of other figures in the book:
| Actual name | Referred to in the book as |
|---|---|
| Salim Al Nurridin | Rafiq[27] |
| Margaret Bagby | Mona[28] |
| Hasan Chandoo | Hasan[29] |
| Earl Chew | Marcus[30] |
| Frank Marshall Davis | Frank[31] |
| Joella Edwards | Coretta[32] |
| Pal Eldredge | Mr. Eldredge[33] |
| Mabel Hefty | Miss Hefty[34] |
| Loretta Augustine Herron | Angela[35] |
| Emil Jones | Old Ward Boss[36] |
| Keith Kakugawa | Ray[37] |
| Jerry Kellman | Marty Kaufman[38] |
| Yvonne Lloyd | Shirley[39] |
| Ronald Loui / Terrence Loui (composite) | Frederick[40] |
| Greg Orme | Scott[41] |
| Johnnie Owens | Johnnie[42] |
| Mike Ramos | Jeff[43] |
| Sohale Siddiqi | Sadik[29] |
| Wally Whaley | Smitty[44] |
