Jeffrey Dahmer's Real Name: Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer

Quick answer: Jeffrey Dahmer's full name was Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer. He was born on May 21, 1960, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and died on November 28, 1994, in Portage, Wisconsin. He was known publicly by that birth name; nicknames such as the Milwaukee Cannibal were press labels, not legal names.

Real name and early life

Biography.com and the Library of Congress identify Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer (FULL NAME / authority heading Dahmer, Jeffrey) (Biography.com; LOC). Dahmer is the family surname; Lionel is the middle name shared with his father. He was born to Lionel and Joyce Dahmer in Milwaukee; the family later lived in Ohio. After high school he briefly attended Ohio State University, enlisted in the U.S. Army (posted to Germany), and was discharged amid alcohol problems before returning to the Midwest and eventually living in Milwaukee.

Career highlights (crimes and case)

Between 1978 and 1991 Dahmer murdered 17 men and boys, often luring victims, killing them, and retaining remains—crimes that led to the Milwaukee Cannibal / Milwaukee Monster nicknames in coverage (Biography.com). He was arrested on July 22, 1991, after a intended victim escaped in handcuffs and led police to his apartment. In 1992 a Wisconsin jury found him guilty but sane; he received multiple consecutive life terms. On November 28, 1994, he was beaten to death by fellow inmate Christopher Scarver at Columbia Correctional Institution. Later documentaries and the 2022 Netflix series Dahmer – Monster renewed public searches of both the full name and the case. The documented civil name remains Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer.

Renewed attention in 2022 followed Ryan Murphy’s Netflix anthology starring Evan Peters.

Name notes for searchers

There is no stage name; press epithets are not legal aliases. Prefer Biography.com, LOC, and major news archives over sensational fan sites. Wikipedia is useful only as a pointer after primary citations.