Help me choose my own surname

[Providora]

I'm preparing to divorce, I stupidly changed my name on marriage because my father was an awful person and I didn't want to carry his name anymore.

Of course, now I don't want XH's name either and none of the names in my maternal line of ancestry really appeal. I've decided to create my own name that just mine, not attached to anyone else.

Can you help me with ideas? My rough criteria are:

• Shortish, easy to spell and pronounce, familiar but not super common.
• Flows nicely from a short first name ending with a vowel sound.
• Consistent with my English heritage.
• This is hard to articulate! - but something elegant, with a bit of gravitas, not extravagant or pompous.

Thank you!

I like Green/Greene.

If i could choose any name, i would choose my favourite author, in my case Austen. I also think names like Wild, Fox, and Wolf are very cool.

Valentine.
Scattergoose.

Fox
Marsh
Ward
Armes

This is hard to articulate! - but something elegant, with a bit of gravitas, not extravagant or pompous.

Archer?

Ooohhh you lot are wonderful. I've gone from having no ideas at all to having too many to choose from!

Many great suggestions have to be ruled out because they just don't fit with my first name. Someone has suggested my current surname

Love Montague.

I like both King and Knight, both consistent with English heritage.

I know a family with the surname England

What does your first name start with and where do you sit with alliteration?

Mead is my maiden name. I liked it but it's surprisingly difficult for people to spell.

I’ve always loved the surname Spencer. Classic. No mistaken spellings or pronunciations

Exh Frank Spencer??

Prefer Spenser, a la Edmund Spenser (The Faerie Queene)!

Shaw
Flintstone
Summers
Holiday

some of these are nice

www.arkhamsbotanical.com/info/list-of-plant-related-surnames/

I quite like Scott.

Danvers

Or if you want to go full out there I met an older man years ago and his surname was Longcake

Sounds like a great opportunity to test the theory about posh names ...

If you have a free rein, why not a slightly quasi posho-exotic one ?

LeMesurier, LeCroix, LeClerc ?

St.John ?

Charles

Where do you come from, OP?
Would a town or county name fit? I'm thinking of the former MP Anne Clwyd who took a name to reflect her heritage or background.

Jameson.
Meadows
Burrowes

We've always wanted to change our names to Mr & Mrs Gringebotham.

I really love some of the suggestions of place names:

Alverley
Blakemere
Luxely
Elmley
Somerville

I love names like Forest and Meadows.
Good luck, OP!

I always think Fairfax sounds very elegant

@DGRossetti

Sounds like a great opportunity to test the theory about posh names ...

If you have a free rein, why not a slightly quasi posho-exotic one ?

LeMesurier, LeCroix, LeClerc ?

St.John ?

I love the idea but the reality of having to spell it out and having people mispronounce it would get a bit grating I think?

I adore Summers and Holiday too, very aspirational! This is really hard.

@FreyaHazel

We've always wanted to change our names to Mr & Mrs Gringebotham.

I really love some of the suggestions of place names:

Alverley
Blakemere
Luxely
Elmley
Somerville

I've always loved Sidebottom, pronounced Siddy-b'tome.