Top 5 Reasons to Change Your Name
I confess that Shakespeare should be right: a rose by any other name should smell as sweet. If that’s the case, then names really don’t matter. But that’s a little like saying appearances don’t matter. We know that should be true. You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. We should be more about content; form shouldn’t rule over function and all that. In the end, though, we’re all only human. And in the real world of humans, billions of dollars are spent each year on “form” – everything from logos, brands, product colors, and yes, even names.
I read an article about names recently published by Lucy Hunt that described how people with certain names should consider a change. The self-described name-sensitive writer admitted that as humans, “we’re a shallow bunch.” She describes her friend meeting a gorgeous woman but heading for the hills when he learned her name was Fanny. And she described how she met Mr. Charming only to guffaw at the sound of his name, Rufus.
Plenty of famous people have changed their names. I’ve described some of these in previous posts: Whoopi Goldberg, Sigourney Weaver, Elvis Costello, Angela Shelton, and Liv Tyler to name a few. Most of these name changes have resulted in the individuals living the life of their dreams; we could even go so far as to say a more authentic life. And I won’t suggest that changing their name resulted in these amazing accomplishments, but the fact that they braved social norms and expectations and had the kind of determined will which included changing their names, surely set them on the right path.
Do we have to let name changing be something only the rich and famous do for themselves or do we want to claim that right for each of us? You know what my vote would be on that. So, what are the top 5 reasons you should consider changing your name?
- You Don’t Like Your Current Name. This is the part where someone like Fanny could step forward. But you never know, maybe she likes her name. That’s the kind of thing that makes this one tricky. You could have some odd name and really hate it…or you might just happen to really like it. There is no right or wrong answer here. It’s whatever you can make work for you. If you like your name, keep it. If you’ve always hated it, now is the time to consider a change.
- You Hate the Way Your Name is Spelled. You may like your name and just want to spell it differently. (Any Amy to Amee’s here?) I’ve read that in some countries monks will actually prescribe for people to change the spelling of their name to change the energy of their life. There are lots of options here: Karen could become Karyn or Janet could become Janette. Could a new spelling be in the works for you?
- You Need a New Direction. Maybe you’ve been through a recent divorce or some other life-altering change and you want to mark a new direction for your life by changing your name. A friend’s cousin changed her name in recognition of her mother’s death. There could be a number of scenarios here to describe, but it all amounts to the same thing. Similar to the altered spelling above, you need to change the energy of your life and one way of doing that is by christening your life with a new name. There are countless examples of people doing this over the years. A real-world example today would be when President Obama went from his childhood nickname Barry to his given name Barrack. Changing a name can have an impact on your life beyond just yourself. It changes the way others perceive you as well.
- Getting Married. One of the most obvious reasons for changing a name comes when two people marry. There is frequently a desire to share a common name, whether this be the husband taking the wife’s name (this is an increasing trend), or the couple creating some new or hyphenated name that they share together. Of course there is the more traditional arrangement of the wife taking the husband’s surname. And finally, with more and more states opting for same sex unions, these couples are also considering name changes that reflect the union of their lives together.
- Objectionable Pronunciations. I once counseled a woman whose boyfriend wanted to change his last name. I won’t give his actual last name but his name was something to the effect of Harry Fuchs. We all know that last name should be pronounced fukes, but we all probably know that a name like that could be frequently mispronounced (either by mistake or intentionally). I think we can understand why a person with this name would want to consider a change. There are plenty of people who have had to explain their name for years who may find themselves wishing for a change.
One of the reasons you should not consider changing your name is to be deceitful or hide from a checkered past. I also recommend that a lot of thought should go into changing your name. Names are important and you don’t want to change your name each time the wind shifts directions. You want to use your name as part of your thoughtful, authentic life journey. The name given to you at birth reflects what your parents wanted for you. It sounds a little self-indulgent to pick your own name. But maybe after years of doing what everyone else wants for you and for your life, it might be time for a little indulgence. The rose will still be there and will still smell as sweet, but now it will have the right name.
Tweet this Story
Del.icio.us
Digg
reddit
