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've just seen a great one - sorry if it's been mentioned already as I haven't RTFT:

Stirling or Sterling. Brings to mind British currency, heritage etc. Also a sterling job being a job well done = good connotations.

Bit disappointed to have got this far in without "Prefect"

@Krieger

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

If it's an ex English teacher, it's likely to be the one I knew. Hardly the Smith of the surname world.

Bridgerton!

The actress Jane March changed her surname to March after the month she was born in, would that work for you?

Twitchett.

James
Harper
Mason
Smart
Preston
Marsh
Beaufort
Greer
Howard
Quinn
Dean
Love
Carson
Seton
Lester
Kent
Beauly
Archer
Miller
Benson
Roy
Rae
Walker
Shaw
Kirk
Lawson
Grant
Sawyer
Adams
Mitchell
Weston
Ball
Bailey
Taylor
Stone
Lamb
Bow
King
Black
Owen
Walter
Pryce
Strong
Carter
Milton

Bishop?

Smith

Hart

I know someone with the surname devine.

I knew someone with Rose as a surname, I thought that was a lovely surname.

I've posted up thread but now decided 😂😂😂
That your surname should be drum roll ....... Ross.

@VictoriaBun

I've posted up thread but now decided 😂😂😂 That your surname should be drum roll ....... Ross.

I love your passion! It's not a great fit with my first name unfortunately.

Use your mumsnet name, Providora.

Lloyd

Hart
Jessup
Milton
Martin
Evershed

I knew someone with the surname Lovelace , I love it

Morrow

Diamond
Stone
They were the surnames of the two coolest kids at my school.

I like placenames - look on an ordnance survey map.

I’m guessing your name is Amy or similar, so I am using that to illustrate:

Amy Warwick
Amy Carriden
Amy Perth
Amy Angus
Amy Carlisle
Amy London
Amy Oxford
Amy Harlow
Amy March

Etc etc

Amy March

Noooooooooo

Kennedy. Always wished that was my name.

I had exactly this dilemma and eventually took my middle name as my legal surname.

This may be fun for you to go through.

There are lots of lovely suggestions - one that came to mind is Dusk and (though not sure it counts as shortish) Gather / Gatherer.

There was a thread on here a bit back on names that aren't really a thing but their opposites are (Dawn but not Dusk, Hunter but not Gather / Gatherer, Flora but not Fauna) which I was thinking would be a good way to make a 'familiar but not common' surname.