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 do like names with X in:

Fox
Devereaux

I’ve always thought if I had to choose my own surname, Quinn or Silver would be pretty good.

Please don’t choose a name which is an adjective - my maiden name was and you have honestly heard every joke there is going to do with that word. And bizarrely you still have to spell it (even though mine was a very common regular word) because people are surprised it’s your surname.

Just realised that Silver is an adjective as well as a noun! Well, that’s the exception to my rule!

I know someone with the surname 'Christmas' which us pretty cool!

Other ideas :
Avery
Montgomery
Wallis
Baxter

Snow
Frost
Appleby
Wood or Woods
Oakley
Archer
Waters
Clay
Robin

Ace

Such a positive surname. It looks great, so well balanced.

I love the surname Lawrence

Thinking of older people who were contemporaries of my grandparents when I was growing up:

Appleyard
Fairbairn
Arrowsmith
Blacklock
Marley
Calvert
Maltby
Coverdale

I'm sure some of them were probably French/Saxon in origin but they're definitely very English sounding now.

Watching as I’m considering doing the same.

IMDb. Look at your favourite films and the actors in it. That's how I chose my last name and my daughters name.

You could go with a county theme

Cornwall or Somerset perhaps - there may be others you think are more suitable ? Very English and easy to spell.

Brilliant thread!

I like virture names that are rarely used as first names (with exception of Ernest and Grace obviously!).
Earnest/Ernest
Grace
Pax (means peaceful)
Creed
Valor
Noble
Love
Keen
Irie

Wisdom
Prudence/Prudent
Blaze
Noble
Liberty

Faye

Choose a name that means something special to you:

• a place you love (I know someone who chose the surname Devon)
• a natural feature (Wood, Meadow; Rivers, Lake, Forest, Hill, Summer)
• your profession, interest or job or of someone you admire (Teacher, Cook, Reader, Gardener)
• a characteristic - (Strong, Gentle, Hope, Powers)
• a family surname or first name as base
• Your middle name (e.g. if you are Anna Helen Henderson become Anna Helen)

Good luck

I've always loved the name Lennox.

I'd look at old film star names for some glamour. Lombard, Garland, de Havilland, Leigh, Gable...
Alliteration works well too. e.g. Marilyn Monroe, Diana Dors, Brigitte Bardot.

I know a Clutterbuck. One of my favourites. It doesnt meet any of your criteria though

Francis- it means freeman

Blythe means happy, carefree.

Darby means free from envy

Carli means Woman who loves her freedom

Ellon means One who is passionate and loves freedom

Karel means free person

I have no suggestions OP but I went through similar when I got divorced. In the end I decided to go back to my maiden name and close the chapter on who I was then. I'm glad I did. I feel like I have become the person I should have been had it not been for all the shite that made me the person who slept-walked into a crappy marriage.

Newland
Newbold
Newley

How funny I was going to say Clutterbuck too, it's in our family tree in the 1850s.
Anyone you admired as a child, a favourite character, look in the TV credits.
Do you want to blend in or stand out?

Crompton
Armstrong
Bond

What about your mum or dads name and add child to it so for example if your mum was called eleanor you could be elleschild.

Did you read the OP first post?

I love

Kennedy
Monroe
Sullivan

Or how about the name of a bird or a plant that has a particular meaning? "Crane" means peace, blessings and good luck.