Lastnames . . .

My fiancÃ[emoji]169[/emoji] and I have decided to choose our own last name when we get married. I love the idea of two people coming together and creating something unique that pertains to them and their union. That and he's not close to his dad's side of the family and I don't really want to become Mrs. Hill!

I'm now looking around for different last names. We've thought about looking for last names that reflect our heritage (I'm half dutch, he's half hungarian and speaks it fluently). but we decided going that route left one of us out (as we don't share an ethnicity). So now I've just been trying to find last names that we both like.

I think our top one so far is November. It's the month that we met eachother, and I like it as it's unique. I know there must be people out there with that last name, but I haven't met any of them yet!

I was wondering if anyone would list their lastname, or else list lastnames that you've heard and liked. For example, I had a math professor with the lastname "Cassabianca" and I've always thought it was great name.

~Julia

I didn't take DH's last name either. As for making up your own last name, have you thought of combining either his mother maiden name or your mother's maiden name?

That is so cool! I wish I had not taken my ex's last name. It never bothered me before, but lately for some reason, I really hate that I still have his name. I have considered looking in to what it would take to get my family name back. Not that it is so great, but it is the name I was born with.

I think November is a perfect last name! It is something yall share together and it will mean something! One question.... How do you change your last name like that?

Well, my last name is Ward. My maiden name was Reynolds.

No other suggestions except keep in mind the length and complexity of the name. If you plan on having children they will have to learn to spell it. There's a comedian with the last name Galifianakis who jokes that he failed kindergarten bc he couldn't spell his last name. Funny, but some kids do have real issues with it.

Also, my boss has a somewhat long last name, Miodovsky. I have to write it down or spell it for everyone. After you have to say "M as in Mary, I, O, D as in David, O, V as in Victor, S, K, Y" 10 times a day it gets a little old. Just things to consider, but of course if that one name that means something to both of you is complex then that's more important. Good luck on your search!

That's a really cool idea! I guess I didn't even think you could do that... Sounds cool!

I dont know how it is in America, but it is not easy to change a name. because its part of your identity

It's not hard in the US. You just have to pay a fee and show a birth certificate and if for marriage, your marriage license. And you can pretty much change it to anything you want. I just had flashbacks to that Friends episode where Phoebe found out that it could be ANYTHING she wanted after she got married and changed hers to "Princess Consuela Banana Hammock". hee heee hee

Anyway, the only annoying part about it here is getting a new driver's license, Social Security card, credit cards, name on bills changed, etc...

Originally Posted by emily_325

Well, my last name is Ward. My maiden name was Reynolds.

No other suggestions except keep in mind the length and complexity of the name. If you plan on having children they will have to learn to spell it. There's a comedian with the last name Galifianakis who jokes that he failed kindergarten bc he couldn't spell his last name. Funny, but some kids do have real issues with it.

Also, my boss has a somewhat long last name, Miodovsky. I have to write it down or spell it for everyone. After you have to say "M as in Mary, I, O, D as in David, O, V as in Victor, S, K, Y" 10 times a day it gets a little old. Just things to consider, but of course if that one name that means something to both of you is complex then that's more important. Good luck on your search!

Click to expand...

Wow! My maiden name was Reynolds, too. And now my last name is Warren. Ward/Warren from Reynolds is a wierd coincidence...

My initals have stayed the same TLA.I was born T.L. Angel and now am T. L. Adkins

If God forbid my hubby and I should seperate, I will go back to Angel.I just LOVE the last name!!!!

I don't want an easy name, I want a distinctive name, and I've kept mine.

Your choice is interesting in being both distinctive and easy.

I guess I'm a lazy person, but I think that changing ones' name is too difficult. My spouse and I both kept our names. I realized that I am not suited to being a grade school teacher when students found out that I was engaged to a man with a very easy to say name, and thought that was a practical, useful thing to be doing; to change my name from a long and odd one to a normal and short one. (I was only a public school teacher for 9 weeks ... it really didn't work out.)

We haven't had any real troubles from having different last names, although I assume I might have to wave a copy of the marriage certificate around more often at hospitals and the like. Deciding on children's names will certainly be more difficult, though. I know of one couple who kept their names and made up a completely different one for their child.

Make sure you document everything well in family records. Someday you may befuddle a genealogist!

If not for what my paternal grandfather told my mom, I would not know that he took his paternal grandfather's name because his own father left. (And that grandpa had been married once before marrying grandma. Mom got the impression he hadn't even told her! I have found his first marriage in county records.)

I wouldn't be much help with last names as mine are all very Italian, my family relatives names, not just mine. Mine is Romito pronounced Ro-me-tow with the accent on the "i" But in my family I have DiDonatos and I think the other last name is Tracchio or something like that. Very Italian hehe which you are not so it may not help much. I know of a guy who's last name is Casanova and I always thought that was cool. My friend and his wife just turned both their names into one when they got married. His last name was Smith and hers was Bolden so they are now the Boldensmiths. I though that was a cute thing to do. If I married my boyfriend my last name would be Allmon which is fine but I would like to stick to an Italian last name and you can't really combine the too very well and still sound Italian. He is Irish.

Oh trust me, I know all about the complicated last names! Mine is Lutgendorf. It's actually pronounced like it looks and spelled like it's pronounced, but I think 10 letters in a row freaks people out! My mom's a school teacher and went from Jones (maiden name) to Lutgendorf. But she makes sure that all her little kids can pronounce her last name.

That's why I like November. It's easy to spell, but I would bet there isn't another Julia November out there. (there's not another Julia Lutgendorf! and if you know someone with that lastname, I'm related to them)

~Julia

Sis went from a 4 letter name to a 10 letter name when she got married!

I took my husband's last name...because I love his last name "Ritchey" compared to my hard to pronounce maiden name of "dague"....I didn't even keep my last name as my middle name...I kept my org middle name. I am a traditional person and I never thought of keeping my maiden name.

Originally Posted by emily_325

Anyway, the only annoying part about it here is getting a new driver's license, Social Security card, credit cards, name on bills changed, etc...

Click to expand...

That is true, I had to change everything once I got married...including all of my work stuff....but It's all worth it....I love being a "Ritchey"...

Originally Posted by Alaynna

That is true, I had to change everything once I got married...including all of my work stuff....but It's all worth it....I love being a "Ritchey"...

Click to expand...

For me, it wasn't too bad changing my SS card, Driver's license, etc. It was the unexpected things that bothered me. We traded in a car that I had bought before I was married so my maiden name was on the title. I had to bring my marriage license and it complicated everything... Every once in a while something will pop up like this. Be prepared!

Originally Posted by emily_325

I just had flashbacks to that Friends episode where Phoebe found out that it could be ANYTHING she wanted after she got married and changed hers to "Princess Consuela Banana Hammock". hee heee hee.

Click to expand...

The first thing I thought of when I started reading this thread was that friends episode. Pheobe's husband also said he was going to change his name to Crap Bag.

I'm no help with the last names. Mine is really really common and people still get confused on spelling.

Originally Posted by AnnasMom

For me, it wasn't too bad changing my SS card, Driver's license, etc. It was the unexpected things that bothered me. We traded in a car that I had bought before I was married so my maiden name was on the title. I had to bring my marriage license and it complicated everything... Every once in a while something will pop up like this. Be prepared!

Click to expand...

Yeah we had to go through all of that...but we have been married for 2 years now and its been a while since anything has come up as my maiden name..except for when I re-registered for college...it was still under my maiden name since I had taken a "break"....it took a while to get it fixed, but all is well now