McLovin the Name

McLovin the Name

March 27th, 2011 @ 4:00 pm by Mrs. Pain au Chocolat
Share

There was never a question of whether I’d take Mr. P’s last name. It just feels right. Beyond that I haven’t given it much thought. Which is unusual for this over-thinking over-planner.

Image via Seeing Stars

Below is a Christmas present from my mom given shortly after we announced our engagement. Alas, it is more interesting with last names intact, but privacy, y’know?!

(personal photo)

I do have my reasons, silly as some may be.

I like the idea of joining us together in name. That said, I’m keeping my last name for professional purposes. In a business where your name is your calling card, I’d lose all those years of hard work making a name for myself.
Matching names: my first and last names are distinctly French, and while his last name isn’t, it passes well for a French name. That’ll do, pig. That’ll do.
I like the rhythm of speaking and writing his last name.
We both have uncommon last names that are tricky to pronounce, but his is less common AND more difficult to pronounce. So we’ll do our part to “repopulate” with his last name and confuse unsolicited callers for years to come.
Phonetic rhyming: both of our last names start with a letter that has a “long e” sound (B, G, P, T, Z, etc.).

Image created using Hamrick software

Hive, just for fun (and the off chance one of you loves this type of thing as much as me), I’m sharing a surname distribution map I stumbled upon years ago. Only the 50,000 most popular last names are available. Growing up, I always thought our last name was uncommon. Apparently not!

Image created using Hamrick software

So far, I haven’t experienced any anxiety or sense of loss over my decision. The only thing I’m not sure of is whether I’ll keep my middle name or move my maiden name there.

If you changed your name, when did the finality of your decision hit you? Any regrets or unexpected emotions? I’m also curious whether anyone moved their maiden name into middle-name position!

Tags: legal, wilmington |

Share |

Latest Gallery Pics

Hot Pink and White with Zebra 36" Lighted Spandex Ostrich Feather Centerpiece

34 Responses to “McLovin the Name”

1 2 Last

Member

Alicia C (message) 41 posts, Newbee

I really don’t want to change it. Its feel like a identity loss…

3/27/11 @ 4:04 pm (reply)

Bee

Miss Hyena (message) 1,882 posts, Buzzing bee

Those maps are fun! Gonna have to check that out… I always thought my last name was fairly uncommon as well.

3/27/11 @ 4:09 pm (reply)

Member

evorce (message) 74 posts, Worker bee

thanks for sharing that, it is really interesting!

3/27/11 @ 4:23 pm (reply)

Bee

Miss Tartlet (message) 3,207 posts, Sugar bee

Ahahaha! I love your reason #4! My last name gets tele-marketers all the time, and it’s rather amusing to hear the varying pronunciations (read: butchering).

My sister moved her maiden name to her middle name, and hyphenated them so she didn’t “lose” her middle name.

3/27/11 @ 4:26 pm (reply)

Member

soontobeMrsEschberger (message) 346 posts, Helper bee

I know I will change my last name, but am really unsure about whether to keep my middle name, use my maiden name as my middle name or keep both as two middle names(if you can even do that?).

3/27/11 @ 4:52 pm (reply)

Member

diamondscan (message) 138 posts, Blushing bee

I’m going to be honest, my maiden name was “Hickey” so there was no doubt I wanted to chop it off. I would have considered sticking it in for my middle name because I don’t like that either… but since my last name was so terrible I just stuck with my semi-OK middle name. I think my mother got slightly offended when I asked if if I could change both my middle name and my last name when I got married…

My new Swiss name is totally not on that map. Score!

3/27/11 @ 5:02 pm (reply)

Member

DisneyBride2Bee (message) 112 posts, Blushing bee

Neither my maiden name nor my fiance’s last name were available on that map! I guess we’re both pretty uncommon, eh?

3/27/11 @ 5:16 pm (reply)

Member

Miss Marine (message) 655 posts, Busy bee

I think it’s still a pretty uncommon name! When I first read the map I thought it meant that there were 10,000 of my name per state but when I looked again, the legend says “one in….10,000) So, out of 10,000 people you would only find one with your last name… I think that’s pretty good!

3/27/11 @ 5:31 pm (reply)

Member

chrispygal (message) 1,113 posts, Bumble bee

I’m going from a very rare last name (wasn’t on the list in 1920 and is 1 in 10,000 in 1990 - cool map btw!) to “Smith”. haha! Part of me will miss my name, but it will be nice to have an easy name for a change.

3/27/11 @ 5:39 pm (reply)

10.

Member

chrispygal (message) 1,113 posts, Bumble bee

3/27/11 @ 5:39 pm (reply)

11.

Bee

Miss Lox (message) 1,128 posts, Bumble bee

I’m still not doing well on the name change front. I will still change and will not be retaining my current name in any way. But I’m unaccountably sad to see it go.

3/27/11 @ 5:43 pm (reply)

12.

Member

Lames (message) 165 posts, Blushing bee

I’m changing mine for lots of reasons. 1) I want my whole family to have the same name. 2) If I’m going to choose a name, I’d rather choose the one the man I’m spending my life with has than the one my father saddled me with. 3) No one in the south can handle pronouncing my two word Italian name. Makes me nuts! My FI’s name is impossible to pronounce wrong. 4) I feel like I AM becoming a new person by getting married. A “we” rather than a “me” and I like the idea of letting the old me go with the name.

My middle name is my grandmothers and is very special to me so I’m keeping it and dropping my current last name altogether. I do have friends who have kept their middle and maidens as a two-name middle. That wouldn’t work for me.

As far as my career goes - people do it all the time and my colleagues will get over it.

3/27/11 @ 5:47 pm (reply)

13.

Member

blueroses (message) 179 posts, Blushing bee

I’d have no qualms about changing my name, but unfortunately my first name and his last name don’t sound all that great together! I’m going to hyphenate to break it up.

3/27/11 @ 7:02 pm (reply)

14.

Member

KayP (message) 35 posts, Newbee

My name (and the alternate spelling) doesn’t show up on those maps! But I’m a-okay with leaving it behind to unify with my fiance under his last name.

3/27/11 @ 7:17 pm (reply)

15.

Member

Chocolatte (message) 198 posts, Blushing bee

my first name is my dad’s middle name, and my middle name is my mom’s middle name. i am taking the mr’s name, but i don’t feel like i’m loosing anything

3/27/11 @ 7:44 pm (reply)

16.

Member

Mrs. Johnson-to-be (message) 4 posts, Wannabee

I had a pretty hard time with the name change thing as well. I’ve always been proud of my last name, and like many of you, I felt I would be “losing my identity” and he wouldn’t be losing anything. In the end, we agreed that changing my middle name to my maiden name and taking his last name was a fair compromise, and it made both of us happy. Con, I really love my middle name, but legal or not, it’ll still be my name, so no worries. 3 months until the big day!!

3/27/11 @ 8:26 pm (reply)

17.

Member

DaniJ0716 (message) 17 posts, Newbee

I am hyphenating my last-his last. His last name sounds terrible with my first name, so leaving my maiden name in there helps break it up a little. Plus, my name is Danielle but I go by Dani, and he has an uncle named Danny (um, kind of a creepy uncle). And I’m not really a fan of sharing a name with a creepy uncle. His dad was really upset that I wasn’t just taking their last name. But my mom hyphenated, and 5 of my 7 aunts either hyphenated or kept their maiden names after marrying. So honestly it was a pretty easy choice for me.

3/27/11 @ 8:41 pm (reply)

18.

Member

Crabbabs (message) 724 posts, Busy bee

Uncanny, miss Pain au Chocolat! I was just looking at this the other day. Ancestry.com also has the same type of thing.

I’m don’t really love my last name or his. They are fine, but kind of awkward and funny-sounding. I was up for changing both last names, but he’s not up for that. He said it meant a lot for me to take his name, and I’m ok with that.

3/27/11 @ 8:43 pm (reply)

19.

Bee

Miss Cinnamon Bun (message) 1,100 posts, Bumble bee

My last name isn’t on the map for recent years, and only just in the 1880 map! Mr CB’s last name turns the maps red.

3/28/11 @ 12:05 am (reply)

20.

Member

Ms. Peach (message) 415 posts, Helper bee

I was never sure how I would feel about changing my name until I met my FH. Now, it just feels right. The flow of my first name with his last name is the same as with mine. Also, all the years I grew up feeling weird about not having a middle name will finally pay off, I am going to move my last name to my middle name. It’s actually funny because his sister and I have the same name, she’s been married for years with her husbands name, so FH’s family is excited to have me take his name to have the name back in the family again.

3/28/11 @ 12:45 am (reply)

1 2 Last