Fallout 4: Deacon's True Name Remains a Mystery

gamerant.com:

Deacon is a member of the Railroad specializing in intelligence. He’s also a potential companion in Fallout 4 — one with a penchant for lying. Though he likes to lie about himself and his past, Deacon will open up truthfully once the player raises their affinity with him.

To unlock Deacon as a Fallout 4 companion, the player must join the Railroad. This involves completing the quests “Road to Freedom” and “Tradecraft.” Once both have been completed, Deacon will offer his services as a follower.

Fallout 4’s Boston Mayoral Shelter Embodies the Series at its Most Political

Deacon admits that he isn’t proud of his past. When he was younger, he joined a gang in University Point — the UP Deathclaws. This was likely a long time before the University Point Massacre in Fallout 4, since Deacon was already part of the Railroad long before that occurred. Together, the Deathclaws would terrorize anyone whom they thought was a synth. It started with destroying the supposed synth’s property, then beatdowns, then eventually, their death.

Now, this was long before the events of Fallout 4. Deacon supposedly only killed one person — synth or not — but that was enough for him to leave the Deathclaws. Deacon turned his back on his gang’s violent ways and made a living as a farmer instead. Sometime after, he met Barbara and settled in with her. The two tried to start a family, but, somehow, the Deathclaws learned that Barbara was a synth. They came for her before she and Deacon could have children.

Deacon doesn’t recall the specifics of what had happened, but he knew that the Deathclaws killed Barbara, and then he killed most of them. After, Fallout 4’s Railroad caught wind of what he’d done, they contacted him, asking him to join their cause.