I don’t think having your full name makes your substack anymore legitimate than with just ‘elle’! While my surname is in my substack handle, I prefer to just be known as ‘Martha’ and I think this is reinforced by my newsletter being called ‘Martha’s Monthly’ - just like yours has ‘elle’ in your newsletter title! I honestly think there is punch to be had in just being referred to as a singular name & creates a bit of distance.

I think if you’ve had a bad past with very very negative impacts of having your full name online, I don’t think adding your full name to your substack is worth the risk of possibly having a horrendous experience like that again.