Why did artists like Leonardo da Vinci and Caravaggio name themselves after towns or cities?

by wornmedown

I’m doing a MOOC course on EdX on European paintings made from 1400 to 1828. Some artists name themselves after a town or city, possibly the town they were born in like da Vinci and Caravaggio (whose real name is Michelangelo Merisi).

Why name yourself after a town?

In Caravaggio’s example, was he known to the world then as Michelangelo or Caravaggio?

What's stopping townfolks from the city of Caravaggio to claim to be him? How did Caravaggio protect his name and IP?

Mindkiller89

It was a tradition in that time period to refer to yourself by your first name and by the town you lived in/were born in. In the Italian language, Leonardo da Vinci is basically calling himself "Leonardo of the Town of Vinci." People of higher status, like nobels and high-class artists, did this more often than the average citizen.