Does anyone's DC have a non-British surname?

[tillytoothfloss]

What have been your experiences? We are trying to decide if to give DC mine or DP's surname. One of them is a well known, straightforward British name and the other a non-British surname which is fine to pronounce. It's perhaps sad that I'm having to ask this in this day and age (or maybe I'm just worrying unnecessarily) but has having a non-British surname caused any problems - discrimination, pronunciation etc? We don't really want to double barrell and don't really know what to do.

[CakeBump]

I have a Polish surname, and if I had a penny for every time I have spelled it out, I would be as rich as Croesus...

Saying that, I love it because its unusual, I'm the only "me" on facebook or in the phone book, and I'll miss it when I get married this summer...

[AmandinePoulain]

My surname is French, it's got an English/Welsh equivalent but the spelling is slightly different so I do have to spell it every time (and often it still gets written wrong ). That's the only issue though. People just tend to pronounce it in an English way, so I usually do myself, it's just easier!

[GobblersKnob]

My surname is of Russian origin, no-one ever gets it right, though tbf there are only about 10 of us in the country so it is a leetle unusual. Dp's and dc's surname is German though I don't think is particually hard to spell, though most people still manage to look surprised and mess it up

I don't think people get discriminated on grounds of their surname? Just have to spend a lifetime spelling it out.

[LemonTurd]

You don't have to change it cakebump

[anewmotivatedme]

My maiden name is Armenian. My grandad was Armenian. I always liked having an unusual surname, never received any discrimination.

[poppydaisy]

We have a German surname and are very happy with it. It is easy enough to pronounce in English and often provides a nice talking point about dh's family. I actually think (hope) that the kids feel proud of their heritages. I can't imagine anyone discriminating against foreign names - on the contrary it can be a positive, especially if your kids speak another language too!

[thegreylady]

My friend's dp had an Indian surname. One of her two ds's has had problems and the other hasnt!

[Haberdashery]

I used to have an Indian surname (a v common one) and now have an English surname. TBH, I prefer having an English name purely because I tend to only have to spell it once instead of again and again while I watch someone writing it down the wrong way. Pronunciation was fine, but the spelling issue drove me mad. It wasn't a long or complicated name and there are several well-known people with the same surname and same spelling. It was bloody annoying.

[irregularegular]

Yes, it's Dutch. It's my name too. Didn't give it a second thought to be honest. People always spell it wrong until they've been correct a few times, but that can be true for British names too!

[HappyJoyful]

I have an Eastern European surname (by marriage) I confess to not using it at work (couldn't be hassled with changing it) however since birth of our dd 17 months ago I have changed at GP etc etc. I also invariably have to pause and re-spell it time and time again!

If I someone asks for my surname I instantly say cheerily 'I'll spell it'.

I think (unfortunately) without intention there is still discrimination out there. I know someone with a long Serbian surname and she always got referred to 'as the Polish lady' and I know people are surprised when I speak fluent English (clearly English) having given an obviously foreign surname sometimes.

However, saying all this I didn't really hesitate (ok for maybe two secs and when family commented dd would face discrimination - albeit hinting) on giving our dd the surname. I did (as did friends with foreign / long / complicated / unspellable surnames) make sure she has a nice simple straightforward 3 letters first name though!

As others have said though - I kinda like it, but that's the non conformist in me!

[elkiedee]

I have an Irish surname but it's very phonetic and simple though not very common and it frequently gets misspelt as a more common British surname. But I have bestowed it on both my sons.

In fact, I was known by my dad's surname for 18 years though he left my mum at the time I was born. My brother and sister's dad also left them when they were 15 and 12, and they both now use our mum's surname too.

My sons both also have dp's name on their birth certificates, not double barrelled but as a middle name. You could give them both names included in their full names and then if they decide they want to use the other at a later date they already have it as part of their recorded name.

[OneLittleBabyTerror]

What's the origin of your DP's surname. German or French surnames probably won't attract any discrimination, but I wonder about more exotic ones? I've seen some studies saying that job applicants get disregarded because of the surname on their CVs. It's sad, but it happends.

[Psammead]

Ours is German. Whenever we've been in the UK, it's been more a talking point than a hinderance, and I cannot see it being a problem for the job market etc because Germany and Germans are generally seen in a good light in that way. I agree that more exotic names might attract more discrimmination.

[umiaisha]

I have an english surname, but Oh and DC have an arabic surname.

The only time this has caused us a problem is at passport control in america, where we always get stopped and interrogated.

[mopsyflopsy]

I now have an English surname but would have much preferred to keep my German one (even with an Umlaut, so very German ), and I would have really liked it if our children to had my German name I actually think it is a positive (especially when you can speak the other language too), particularly in today's globalising world.

[startail]

Choose which ever you like best.

I had to spell my very simple maiden name because it became a far commoner one if you changed the first letter.
I was always being told I didn't exist, because people had opened the wrong file!

[bingeddybongo]

I acquired a German surname when I got married and I absolutely love it. I don't mind having to spell it (ALL THE TIME!!) because it's relatively short, but having had a very English maiden name that nobody ever had any difficulties with it drives me completely up the wall that EVERYONE mispronounces it!!

[sharklet]

I went from a British surname but a rare one no one could ever spell or even pronounce properly, to a french one that again no one can either pronounce or spell....

Just go with what feels right, or give her DP's and your as a middle name - then she can decide of if she wants to use it herself in later life.

[mathanxiety]

I have an English surname that gets unbelievably mauled by a lot of people, almost as badly as my Irish first name does. My conclusion is that people should clean out their ears and learn to read.

[LaVolcan]

I went from one English surname which can be spelt two different ways, to another English surname which can also be spelt two different ways. I have just got used to always having to spell my name out.

[Janoschi]

I went from a rare but easy to pronounce English name to an easy to pronounce German one. DD has the German surname with mine as a second name. Doing okay so far, though we get a lot of different pronunciations, which is odd seeing as it's not a tricky name.