Foreign sounding names

MargaretR · 18-07-2007, 14:47

BBC NEWS | Magazine | A royal by any other name
"Nine decades ago the Royal Family switched to an English-sounding name because of anti-German feeling, as did some of their subjects. Is there an echo of this predicament today? -------"

I found this article and the comments that follow it very interesting.
Have any of you experienced difficulty because of your surname?
Have any of you changed it (other than by marriage)?

shillelagh · 18-07-2007, 14:54

Mainly my problems are the spelling - have had many variations on it even a teacher got it wrong when i was at school. By the way mines an irish name so not much difference from an english name not like a german or russian or another countries name. Im proud of my name - in the phone book theres only me and my ex sister in law in it with the same surname.

katex · 18-07-2007, 15:02

No problems myself Margaret .. but do know one or two Jewish people who changed their names years ago ... one quite high up in Government I suspect. Don't think they do it now.

My friend went to live in Southern Ireland with a separated married gentleman, and changed her name to his, due the fact no divorce laws there .. the relationship crashed and she is now stuck with his name ..

MargaretR · 18-07-2007, 15:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by katex

No problems myself Margaret .. but do know one or two Jewish people who changed their names years ago ... one quite high up in Government I suspect. Don't think they do it now.

My friend went to live in Southern Ireland with a separated married gentleman, and changed her name to his, due the fact no divorce laws there .. the relationship crashed and she is now stuck with his name ..

It is (or was) quite cheap to use deed poll. I paid £25 to a solicitor to get rid of my last husband's name. Not that it was 'foreign' (english dad/ Italian mother) but just needed to distance myself from him in all respects.

garinda · 18-07-2007, 15:13

I came across this photograph yesterday. A member of the Royal Family at his sister's funeral, marching side by side with Nazis.

No wonder they were keen to change their name.

Prince Philip pictured at Nazi funeral | the Daily Mail

MargaretR · 18-07-2007, 15:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by garinda

I came across this photograph yesterday. A member of the Royal Family at his sister's funeral, marching side by side with Nazis.

No wonder they were keen to change their name.

Prince Philip pictured at Nazi funeral | the Daily Mail

Mrs Simpson saved us from becoming a German colony

- Edward was a nazi sympathiser/collaborator and some say even a SPY- that's why he was shipped out to the Bahamas as Governer.

Eric · 18-07-2007, 15:46

Doesn't matter so much here; apart from the First Nations, everyone is a foreigner And most Aboriginal people have English/Scottish/French names. Aboriginal languages only survive as co-opted words; "vegetarian" for example is an Algonquin word meaning "he who can't hunt worth a damn."

MargaretR · 18-07-2007, 16:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric

Doesn't matter so much here; apart from the First Nations, everyone is a foreigner And most Aboriginal people have English/Scottish/French names. Aboriginal languages only survive as co-opted words; "vegetarian" for example is an Algonquin word meaning "he who can't hunt worth a damn."

LOL - I must remember to tell my vegetarian son that one

Busman747 · 18-07-2007, 16:48

Quote:
Originally Posted by katex
.. the relationship crashed and she is now stuck with his name ..
Originally posted by Margaret@Rothwell5
It is (or was) quite cheap to use deed poll. I paid £25 to a solicitor to get rid of my last husband's name. Not that it was 'foreign' (english dad/ Italian mother) but just needed to distance myself from him in all respects.

No one should be stuck with a name that they choose not to have - - and it doesn't cost a bean to change it.

I had previously brought up a daughter that has a "real" father and carries a different surname to myself. Schools would not recognise me as being a guardian because of this difference which made communication with the schools and other institutions difficult at times.

When I married Willow, her two daughters were still recovering (if thats the right word) from the death of their father. Willow and I decided to combine our surnames for a variety of reasons.

Firstly, that Emzie and Mimi (accyweb members) did not feel alienated with their mother taking up my surname - - and secondly, that schools and other organisations recognised the similarity of surnames despite the parents having a double-barrelled name (dead posh, what!)

Everyone is used to the "bride" changing their name after marriage, but boy, did we have fun with the changing of MY name!

We didn't pay a solicitor, simply started at the easy bit, changing my name at work, then credit cards, bank accounts, finally tax and insurance contributions. (not forgetting dentist, doctor, car registration bla bla bla) The end result is that I am now known as "Willow-Busman" instead of "Busman."

But seriously, if anyone is contemplating changing their name, deed polls are unnecessary, just call yourself that name, change everything from the smallest things upwards AND YOU WILL BE RECOGNISED BY THE GOVERNMENT!!

(I now have a passport in my new name)

WillowTheWhisp · 18-07-2007, 17:12

We did have the advantage though that each half of the new surname had belonged to one of us prior to the marriage.

We asked at the register office before we got married how we would go about becoming double barrelled as opposed to me becoming a Busman and they said "Just tell everybody and that's what it then is." So we did, and we are.

katex · 19-07-2007, 11:29

A decent compromise which suited all parties methinks for you and Willow, Busman.

Thought you would have had to go through deed poll to get on official documents, etc., but thanks for the info.

Think the reason my friend has stuck with the name is because she couldn't be bothered with all the hassle, and the embarrassment of explaining to everyone the reason why she would be compromised into reverting back to what was her married name.

I have never had any desire to rid myself of my married name as fit in with my sons; my daughter, on the other hand, did feel she had to rid herself of her ex-husband's name and return to her maiden name, and went through deed poll. She also had her daughter's name changed to this (had to seek permission off the father). Has made life easier .. now, myself, son, grandaughter and daughter all come with the same surname.

LancYorkYankee · 19-07-2007, 15:13

My Great-Granddad, Charles Stoeffler, was a Tin-Smith with the State of Rhode Island in the 1900s into the 1920s. When The War broke out, there was alot of anti-German sentiment over here from the very start.

It was "sugggested" he Americanize his name. This really infuriated him. He had left Germany in the 1880s because he greatly disliked the Kaiser and the road Germany was taking. However, he was very proud of his heritage and refused to change it. When he became an American (1890s), he became an American: no more speaking German, dressing German, yearning for Germany.

In spite of that, he was let go. However, we can still go to different buidings around that State and see the copper/tin domes that he worked on.

Brian Von Stoeffler and Berner (shhh don't tell the English blokes, they'll disown me for sure!)

WillowTheWhisp · 19-07-2007, 15:30

So was he on your Mum's side Brian? You aren't a von Stoeffler.

LancYorkYankee · 19-07-2007, 17:06

He was my Dad's Grandfather on his mother's side! Oh and he didn't really have the Von in fornt of his name. He was just a mere commoner like most. My mom would usually add it when she was mad at one of our German Shepard dogs: "Gretel Von Stoeffler, get out of the garden" and such!

Eric · 19-07-2007, 21:40

It even works for place names too; the city of Kitchener, Ontario used to be Berlin. That was changed when WW1 broke out. It's still very German there; and it claims to have one of the best Oktoberfests in the Welt, oops sorry, the World. I went one year, but I don't remember too much about it, so, it must have been good.