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Should I Change My Name?


Lilllabettt

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Why can't everyone just call you Miss C? Everyone can pronounce that.

If you were/are supposed to have a different last name God would have given/will give it to you.


[quote name='Lilllabettt' timestamp='1298049900' post='2213614']
My last name is Castendt. (it isnt, but that is a good representation of what it really is)

I have spent the last 500 years of my life spelling this name over the phone 1500 times to customer server reps who don't understand how "n" "d" and "t" can all be right next to each other. And correcting people who don't understand the d is silent and try to mush it with the t sound. And comforting teachers, coaches, etc. who see my name on the roll and want to pee themsleves they're so scared to pronounce it.

What I am thinking about is removing the d, since it is silent anyway.
So it would be Lilla Castent.

I am moving into teaching and think it would be easier for kids, parents, everyone. I am not ashamed of my grandparents being from Austria, but I am not really attached to that identity either.

I mentioned this possibility to my friends and family and the response was overwhelmingly negative. Which I do not quite understand. Girls change their last names all the time. The whole world is set up for it. My change would be less radical than many of my friend's who took their husbands names when they married. Certainly my family expected I'd change my name when I got married. So what is so bad about doing it sans man?
[/quote]

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[quote name='vee8' timestamp='1298062810' post='2213668']
I am Vee de Yepes y Cepeda
[/quote]

And all this time I thought your last name was 8!

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[quote name='Lilllabettt' timestamp='1298049900' post='2213614']
My last name is Castendt. (it isnt, but that is a good representation of what it really is)

I have spent the last 500 years of my life spelling this name over the phone 1500 times to customer server reps who don't understand how "n" "d" and "t" can all be right next to each other. And correcting people who don't understand the d is silent and try to mush it with the t sound. And comforting teachers, coaches, etc. who see my name on the roll and want to pee themsleves they're so scared to pronounce it.

What I am thinking about is removing the d, since it is silent anyway.
So it would be Lilla Castent.

I am moving into teaching and think it would be easier for kids, parents, everyone. I am not ashamed of my grandparents being from Austria, but I am not really attached to that identity either.

I mentioned this possibility to my friends and family and the response was overwhelmingly negative. Which I do not quite understand. Girls change their last names all the time. The whole world is set up for it. My change would be less radical than many of my friend's who took their husbands names when they married. Certainly my family expected I'd change my name when I got married. So what is so bad about doing it sans man?
[/quote]



You should change the whole thing to Hasa Nisgrate

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[quote name='CherieMadame' timestamp='1298054325' post='2213630']
I know a family of 15 siblings, most of whom are about middle-aged, and they have a very long, Italian name. Some of them shortened it, and some of them didn't.

If you don't mind the paperwork and fees, I say go for it. It was a lot more common back in the day, and lots of folks got their names changed [i]for[/i] them at Ellis Isle, which makes for an interesting conversation for their ancestors. It doesn't mean you are renouncing your family name. It just means you're making it "more accessible" and less confusing or frustrating for people, including yourself.

I'm reminded of the story of a priest who advised the teaching Sister from Germany named [b]Sr. Himmelfahrt[/b] to change her name to the English equivalent, Sr. Assumpta. Can you imagine the disastrous effect her German name would have on a bunch of English-speaking grade schoolers?! So "Anglicizing" your name isn't a big deal. Not to me, anyway!
[/quote]

I'm sorry, I couldn't stop laughing at this! I would definitely change my name if it included "f.art" or "fahrt." Yikes! rotfl

[size="1"]edited for: darn fiddler[/size] :hotstuff:

Edited by MaterMisericordiae
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MissScripture

Changing names is a huge hassle...just an FYI. I'm (almost) a year out from changing mine and still have stuff that isn't in the right name.

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Roamin Catholic

[quote name='IcePrincessKRS' timestamp='1298056465' post='2213638']
unless your name is easy
[/quote]

FTW!!!

Edited by Roamin_Catholic
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Lillabett - Go ahead and change the spelling; justify it as a cultural adjustment. You might also want to document what you do and why you do it - like a personal essay or something, that you keepi and pass down to you kids so if they ever want to do geneaology, they know the situation.

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here in my country, it takes a lot of time and money to change surname. I do not know the case in USA. You know what, some surnames here are very funny and some are obscene since the Spaniards somehow played a trick on us. You are not alone. :)

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[quote name='MissScripture' timestamp='1298091169' post='2213763']
Changing names is a huge hassle...just an FYI. I'm (almost) a year out from changing mine and still have stuff that isn't in the right name.
[/quote]

And it's supposedly even [i]easier[/i] for those changing their name because of marriage. I have heard that it's harder for people who change it for other reasons. It was a bit of a hassle for me in the beginning after I was married, but I will say it's mostly died down. Anything in my maiden name is just junk mail; all the important things are taken care of. But MissScripture you're right, it definitely can be a hassle, especially things like the title to your car, which took the longest for me to rectify!

That's the crux of the matter, really, to me - not the fact that you would be changing the spelling, but that you'd have to go through the hassle. If you're willing to go through the hassle and you think the pros outweigh the cons, like I said before, go for it. Someone said that if you were meant to have a different last name God would have given it to you, but I disagree with that line of thinking in your situation because you're not changing your last name, you're changing the spelling. It will still keep the "essence" of what it was, only it will be easier for people to spell and pronounce.

Anyway, keep us updated! I would be very interested to know your final decision on the matter! :)

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I went from an easy to spell name, to one that is always misspelled. I'm more irritated when people spell my first name with a K.

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fides quarens intellectum

[quote name='CherieMadame' timestamp='1298127063' post='2213820']
And it's supposedly even [i]easier[/i] for those changing their name because of marriage. I have heard that it's harder for people who change it for other reasons. It was a bit of a hassle for me in the beginning after I was married, but I will say it's mostly died down. Anything in my maiden name is just junk mail; all the important things are taken care of. But MissScripture you're right, it definitely can be a hassle, especially things like the title to your car, which took the longest for me to rectify!
[/quote]

I've changed my name as a personal decision as an adult and after marriage. The only thing that was more of a hassle with changing it without a wedding was I had to post an ad in the local paper for a few weeks announcing my intent to change my name (state requirement so that people wouldn't just change their name to avoid creditors) and I had to appear before a judge and answer his questions about why I wanted to change my name. As for changing house info, car titles, credit cards, etc., that was about the same hassle as changing my name after marriage. :)

Lillabett, in my opinion, go ahead and change it, if you want! Some members of my family were upset when I decided to change my name, but they eventually moved on. In your case, though, it's not like your really changing your name - just the spelling of it. :)

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