I'd like to know if anyone has ever known of someone who changed their surname out of desire, or if any of you have done it. I realize that in the UK you can change your last name legally by deed poll, but unfortunately I live in the USA.
I think I have excellent reasons for wanting to change the name.
I love my family but our surname makes me extremely uncomfortable and I've struggled to accept it all my life but I've been unhappy for 29 years. I have a REALLY common first name/last name. It really upsets me and causes me a lot of emotional pain to have a common full name. I could deal with having a common FIRST name but a common full name is so embarrassing. I have no sense of identity and I'm always getting lost in the crowd. I want something to uniquely identify just me.
I've never identified with our last name. I've always felt really uncomfortable using it and I don't feel like MYSELF. It's more than just I don't like it. Having to answer to, speak, or sign the last name causes me emotional pain and makes me very uncomfortable. I hate going to work or going to the bank because I dread being addressed by the surname. I feel like I was meant to have a special last name. I'm not entirely sure why it bothers me, but I have struggled all my life to accept it and I CAN'T.
I've actually thought about getting married just to get rid of it but I don't think I could go through with that. If I do marry, I want it to be for love. I have no plans of getting married anytime soon, maybe I'll never get married.
I don't want to change my first name because a name doesn't really have sentimental value if you picked it out for yourself. I really don't like my name (Sara) but my mom thought she was doing something nice for me.
My other reason is that I'm a musician. Even though I'm in a different field now I'd like to play music professionally. I realize it won't be easy but I have been told by objective, even brutally honest people that I'm a fabulous guitar player and I could be famous someday. My name does NOT sound like an artist. I must have a name that sounds a bit more artistic. I don't just want to go by a stage name, I want an official name to go by.
My last reason is my heritage... I have the most all-American, waspy name in the world. There's nothing wrong with being American or a wasp. It's just that I identify with the Spanish part of my heritage more than american culture. I have Hispanic ancestry but people are always assuming I don't because of our surname. Hispanic culture is practically half my life and I have Hispanic blood and it would mean everything to me to be able to take my Spanish ancestor's surname. I've studied abroad in Mexico and Spain and I had a VERY rough time readjusting to American culture and I became very depressed upon returning to the USA. I feel like a Spanish surname, especially my own ancestor's, would feel like ME.
I would like to do one of two things... either hyphenate a new name with my current surname, or just change my current surname to a family surname. I would like to take my Spanish ancestor's surname, but this person was adopted and I'm having a hard time finding out what the original surname was.
I DID found out that an ancestor's last name was King (I think we have black Irish ancestry?). I've always LOVED that last name. It's not Spanish (Irish I think?) but Ireland is awesome and King is a gorgeous name, it sounds regal, and classy and noble.
I don't think my familiy would be hurt because King is a family name. I think it's a shame that we have such a beautiful last name and that it just got lost. If I wanted to disassociate myself from my family then I would choose a completely unrelated name.
I would like to just legallly change it. I've told my family how I feel, that I love them but that having a common full name and always being lost in the crowd makes me miserable. I told them, %26quot;Mom, Dad, I really LOVE you a lot... but I hate my name and want to change it to an ancestor's name.%26quot;
The trouble is, I don't know what I'll do if the court gives me ****, which I'm so afraid they're going to do. I live in North Carolina and we have some stupid laws, and people here, for the most part, are mean and shitty (no offense to anyone). I don't know what I'll do if I have a hard time changing my name.
Is there any solution to this? I just can't accept the name... I've struggled to do it all my life and I'm so sick of being miserable. I just want to feel like ME.
Changing a surname because of desire?
You can quite easily change your name. Just talk to an attorney.
