I never wanted to change my name when I got married. When I was a little girl, I thought the concept was stupid; when I got older, I fell in love with my name and its history, and realized that I am among the last generation with the name from this family tree (and we’re mostly female). My future SIL, when casually discussing name changes (she’s also engaged) said “You don’t seem like the type to change your name.” Nope, nope I’m not. My last name is long, so I dismissed the idea of hyphenation years ago.
But now we’re into reality and past the hypothetical. My fiancé knows I never wanted to change my name. We’ve been together a really long time and it’s never been a sticking point. We never even discussed it, really; I’m not the type! However, as I think about what marriage means … well, it’s making me think. We’re both highly educated and proud of our myriad diplomas and certificates, so creating a “new name” is out of the question. I like my middle name (family name). The plan for kids is and has been his last name, and incorporating some of the letters in mine into a first name.
But … would it be nuts for me to hyphenate a 9-letter-long surname with a four-letter one? Do I need 15 characters in my surname? If I use all the names as it stands, we’re looking at 11 syllables for a full name, which is a lot …
Are there any ideas out there?
