Name change and identity

[Subuatai]

Changing your name must be kind of like getting a blank slate in some respects. Good god, I think if it would reduce the amount of junk mail, I might do it!

I've been thinking of it too just to escape legal pressures of past court cases. Not sure whether it would work though.

[Paddy]

Aug 23, 2009 0:09:14 GMT -5 Christina Barrett said:

I just have Barrett. My mom is Chinese-Indonesian, so she has an Indonesian last name. The Chinese is different.

I like last names like Webster and Gordon. I have German like Rickard and I even have Irish, Donahue-Noon. Shultz is nice, Long, Work as in Barber-Work.

Anyway what kind of German? I have Dutch.

Err...I'm confused.
How many names do you have?

[Christina Barrett]

I have 1, but my mom has 2

[fei]

^ Ibu kamu ada dua nama??? I thought that Indonesia Chinese have only one name?? I have Chinese Indonesia friends and they told me that they have to change their name to Indonesia sound due to the government policy?? Maybe it non official ones, i not sure abt this???

[jefe]

I have 4 official names
- current official English
- current official Chinese
- current official alias
- former official English (which I renounced)

SO,
Saya ada empat nama!

[davidbleo]

I have two last names as it's usual in Mexico, first the paternal one and then the maternal.
My mom's maternal last name is the chinese one, which I have not. I usually use, in informal situations, my mother's last names... not to have the chinese one, but because of some family issues.

Sometimes I'd like to make that change official... but here in Mexico it's really difficult 'cause of school, jobs and all previous activities will have to change my name... and everything has a price... how easy is in other countries to change your name officially?

[jefe]

It is easier to change in HK than USA as you can do it via a deed poll. In the USA you have to have a court order -- it takes more time and is much more expensive.

[milkman's baby]

Aug 25, 2009 12:18:07 GMT -5 jefe said:

It is easier to change in HK than USA as you can do it via a deed poll. In the USA you have to have a court order -- it takes more time and is much more expensive.

Indeed. Anywhere from $100-300 to file a petition and run a public notice in the papers. Then it takes a couple months to have the notice ran and get the hearing with the circuit clerk. Some people get paralegals or lawyers, but I don't think it would be that hard. At least, I hope not.

I am waiting until I graduate college and have more money to add my mother's maiden name and make it hyphenated. I'm doing it mainly because I've never known any maternal relatives. I think carrying the family name is sorta my last string to hold on to and show I have a connection with them. And yeah, I guess it would quell the stupid what-are-you questions. Probably going to get a lot of assumptions that I'm married or divorced, but I don't care. It's my name and my choice.

[jefe]

In HK, it can be done in a single day -- no need to publish any notice or file any petition. I think it can be done because everyone has an ID no. that would not change based on one's name. Then I changed my US passport in HK, then went back to the USA and changed the name on my social security number and then I changed the name on my driver's license.

But then, people in the USA normally don't change their social security number either, but people don't use the social security no. as ID there.

I have not changed my birth certificate.

[Kush]

Same in the UK as well, deedpoll. I remember some politician changed her name to "battleaxe" as advertising for some deedpoll website.

[jefe]

^ HK basically has copied the UK legal framework in most respects.

[milkman's baby]

I guess the US just has too many people to be able to make it so easy. Bummer.

[tifonito]

Strange but true...

When my paternal great-grandfather emigrated from China to Brooklyn around 1900, the customs officials romanised his surname according to his native dialect. Because of the way it was pronounced (with two syllables) it came out looking completely white. The surname has stuck ever since then. It was the root of my father's nickname among his high school friends in Hong Kong: "ga gwailo", or literally "fake white dude".

Similarly, if I omit my Chinese middle name on paper then people will automatically assume that I am Caucasian. Because my cousins in Canada don't use middle names it's happened to them many times before.

[milkman's baby]

Jun 14, 2010 1:43:10 GMT -5 glitch said:

At first I'm probably going to feel awkward to be called by another name but I hope I'm going to get used to it fast. Anyone been through that phase after they changed their name or were they immediately comfortable with it?

My suggestion to you is to start using the name informally now before you make any legal changes. I started introducing myself to people the Anglicized version of my Spanish first name and I found that there was a changing tide in the way a large amount of new people reacted to me by that name. Could be a coincidence or other factors involved but nonetheless the point is you wanna "test" out the name first. I did get used to the name pretty fast, but now I think it's kind of a lame name so I wish I never played around with that crap.

[eanpavel]

I’ve got Polish first name and Vietnamese middle name and surname, which I think is pretty imbalanced, cause I regard myself as a 100% Polish by culture. Sadly, I guess most ppl think I’m just a Viet who got Polish first name ;( . I really want to change my middle name to Polish one and add my mum’s maiden name to my surname. I really want to avoid these comments like “Oh this name is pretty common in YOUR country” (damn, Vietnam is not my country, it’s never been and won’t be!). It also annoys me when ppl attach my middle name to my first name by following Japanese “X- san” pattern (my middle name kind of reminds of Japanese “san” actually)...

Besides, I don’t really like the sound of it – to be honest I think Vietnamese is one of the ugliest Asian language I’ve heard... Too much tones. Most ppl find my surname hard to read, they usually pronouce it as 2 or 3 syllables, but it’s actually just one. Even my mum, bro and I don’t pronounce it like my dad does...

I guess it’s not a problem to change ur name officially here in Poland, but I’m a bit concerned what my dad would think abt it...It could be like a slap in the face for him and his ancestors.