What’s in a Name, Part Deux
Chris and I almost came to blows today on a subject that’s been plaguing us since we started this trip: our future last name. Ever since Chris’s dad gave us the a-okay on leaving the Hodges surname behind, we’ve been contemplating future family names that range from the standard to the hippie-tastic. We’ve narrowed our short list down to just short of six million possibilities, so clearly we’re close to making the final decision.
Because of this indecisiveness, we decided to turn to John, Paige, Deanna, and Mike, my four cousins who all share a last name that they’re very proud to own: Bleidistel. According to Deanna, there are only four hundred or so Bleidistels in the whole world, which means that when they Google stalk each other, everything shows up almost instantly. As Deanna pointed out, one of the perils in choosing our own family name is the fact that we’ll be essentially robbing our children of the fun of culling the Internet for juicy stories about our ancestors, as they are unlikely to know our maiden and bachelor names. She’s got a point, as you definitely shake up the genealogy tree when you decide to plant your own instead of adding a new branch.
But Chris and I are pretty sure that we want to forge our own path, so we turned to my cousins for some practical suggestions. All four recommended that we take on a family name from relatives of yesteryear. This is a possibility, as Chris and I have been circling one name in particular that has already had its day in the sun but is now without a home. They also suggested that we pick something that has sentimental value for the two of us. I totally agree with this, as there’s zero value in choosing a name just because it sounds good. Chris suggested that we take on Obama, but I think people just might see that as pandering to our 43rd president. I suggested Palin and was met with a stony silence in return.
Deciding on a new last name is kind of like getting a tattoo. Lots of ideas sound fun at first, but when you actually say them out loud, they are completely ridiculous. For example:
Chris: I think we should take the last name “United.”
Jaime: That sounds like a soccer team.
Chris: Ya, it would be awesome! Chris United, Jaime United. We’d be “united” by marriage.
Jaime: Why don’t we just go with “Fusion” then? Jaime Fusion, Chris Fusion, Roxy Fusion.
Chris: And that wouldn’t be obnoxious, now would it? Hi, I’d like to book a room for Chris Fusion. This is my wife Jaime Fusion.
Regardless of what we choose, we’re not telling anyone until the deed is done. After experiencing what it was like to plan a wedding, we already know what type of opinions we’ll get.
However, we are taking suggestions in the comment box below. Have at it- it’s the only chance to say what you think, so immortalize it or forever zip your mouth.
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube
