Changing one's surname

[tiaras-and-books]

Not sure whether this is in the right place or not. Hopefully I got it right.

I want to change my last name, and I'm trying to think through what I'd like to change it to. There's a family name I've considered using, but I want to look at all of my options.

If you were going to change your last name, what would you take into account when choosing your name or coming up with ideas? How do you think you'd go about picking one out?

[Gemme]

I'd take everything into account. Who I am, who I want to be perceived as being, what I stand for and who and what I represent. A name is like a shield you wear into the battle of life every day.

I would choose one that spoke to me, that said 'THIS' is who I am, be it someone who stands out and is different or someone who goes with the flow and maybe blends in. I would make sure my whole name flowed seemlessly off of my lips, maybe even playfully so, because that's more along the lines of who I am. Maybe you are very serious, so you might want to choose a name that sounds powerful or strong.

I would do my research and study the origins of the surnames you are considering. Maybe even search for a family crest.

Good luck!

[Aud]

I considered changing my surname as a young adult (18-19) to my father's surname, as I felt it was rightfully mine & also as some passive-aggressive way to thumb my nose at him. Thankfully, I was too cheap and worked too hard for my money to make this meaningless change. I carry my maternal grandfather's surname, which I'm ok with. It has a rich, interesting history--Yet, it doesn't come with much of a sense of belonging. But as it stands, the only surname I would want is a spouse's. In fact, I think I'd be crushed if they didn't ask me to, or at least offer for me to take on some wonderfully pretentious hyphenated version of both our last names.

[imperfect_cupcake]

I changed my last name though not legally. since I write and am on line for other things, I go by a different last name. Only my old close friends, work, legal things and my family know my legal name. I actually like it this way. My face book and my pen name are the same, but my legal name stays off the internet.

I chose a name according to my birth mother's heritage and the meaning of the name.
It's welsh Gaelic for "of the sea"
I love the sea. And it sounds good. Also, its rather common so if people google me to stalk me, they are rather shit out of luck LOL.

[Parker]

When I changed my name in 2007, I changed both my first and last name. My first bc I never really liked Deborah - it never looked, sounded, or felt right. I ended up picking Parker bc it sounded gender neutral to me and bc it means "keeper of the park," which was perfect bc I love trees, forests, etc.

I also wanted to change my last name bc even as a kid, when I thought about marriage, I knew I would not take a man's last name bc it felt like ownership to me. I realized then that my current last name was a man's name - my dad's - and that using my mom's maiden name would still be using a man's name - her dad's. So I figured I should just make my own last name and start from scratch.

I struggled for a while in trying to find the right name, but then it hit me that I love wolves and have an affinity for them, so why not Wolf? My name is a little tricky though bc Parker is a common last name, so some people read the name and think my name is Wolf Parker and that I am a man. It was an unfortunate side effect, but not everyone sees it that way - a lot of people love saying the 2 names together as if they are one name. All-in-all, even with some people seeing my new name in writing and thinking: dude, I still love the name and am very happy that I changed it.

Good luck!

[Jesse]

I have changed both my first and middle names, and will most likely change my surname after my adopted father passes (long story, that will not be told in this space) from this earth. I will either go with the surname I was given at birth, because it fits my heritage, or I will choose one that fits more with who I am as a person.

As things stand, my surname is a very common German name and I've not an ounce of German blood in me as far as I know. My birth father's side of the family hails from Spain, and I have a good amount of Cherokee blood coursing through my veins as well.

[*Anya*]

If my GF and I marry, I will change my last name to hers.

I really like her last name, my current name is my married name which I kept after the divorce because it was my children's last name and my maiden name is my father's name and I would never change my name to his.

In the meantime, I will just keep my last name as it is.