Google on Monday started rolling out a way for Google+ members to use pseudonyms or nicknames instead of their real names.

The search giant pledged to add support for alternate names – from nicknames to maiden names – over the next week.

"This name will show up on your Google+ profile and in the hovercards which appear over your name," Google's Bradley Horowitz wrote in a post. "In the next few weeks, we'll be displaying it more broadly as part of your name in other areas of Google+ as well."

To change your name, visit your Google+ profile, click "Edit Profile," select your name, and click "More Options." Any changes will also apply to other services that require a Google Profile.

Google promised access to pseudonyms back in October, when Vic Gundotra, Google's vice president of engineering, and Google co-founder Sergey Brin appeared at the Web 2.0 conference. That came several months after Eric Schmidt, Google's executive chairman, said Google+ was for "real names" only.

Horowitz said today that only 0.1 percent of Google+ users – which top 90 million – have submitted a name appeal. Of that, 60 percent want the ability to use nicknames, 20 percent are businesses that started a Profile instead of a Google+ Page, while 20 percent would rather use a pseudonym or other "unconventional" name.

"To be clear - our work here isn't done, but I'm really pleased to be shipping a milestone on our journey," Horowitz said.

Also today, Google said it is broadening support for established pseudonyms, "from +trench coat to +Madonna." If the search giant still flags your name, though, Google said it might ask you for information to confirm identity, like references to your identity in the press, official documents, or proof of identity with a meaningful online following.

"Today is a small step towards improving the ways in which you can communicate your identity on Google+," Horowitz confirmed. "We will be listening to feedback from the community and will continue to refine all aspects of how we handle names and identity over the coming weeks, months and beyond."