Have you anglicised your name like Thandiwe Newton?

[Areyouactuallyseriousrightnow]

As Thandie Newton has decided to reclaim the original Zimbabwean spelling and pronunciation of her name- Thandiwe, it got me thinking about how often those of us with names that reflect our ethnic heritage might have done this for various reasons.
For example I love my name but decided to change to my married surname when I was job hunting and was scared by all the research about how how names on CVs that reflect certain ethnicities are less likely to get shortlisted etc. I’m senior in my career now and regret that I didn’t do that with ‘my’ name.

My great grandparents (all on my dad’s side) anglicised their respective surnames so outsiders would assume we were of Scottish descent.

I sometimes wonder if I should reclaim my heritage and change the name back, or if it would look like attention seeking ....

My mum (before marriage) and grandmother often referred to themselves by an anglicised version of their surname, on anything that did not require official documentation. Never changed official documents though.

My grandfather was Jewish, and if they had formally changed their surname it would not have been unusual. Michael Howard or Robert Maxwell's family come to mind.

Yes, having a non-British sounding name reduces the chance of you gaining a job interview. I have however kept my ethnic middle name, but don’t put it on forms etc.

We gave the DC English first names but their surnames are double barrelled and foreign, Italian-Hispanic.

I like it because it mixes all the cultures, but also I did worry about foreign first name foreign surname affecting their CV chances.

No, but I wish I had. Not because it's ever had an impact on my career to my knowledge (I'm quite successful and always get interviews although appreciate others have had negative experiences) but because my name is so difficult to spell and pronounce!

My dad was Jewish. He came here as a WW2 refugee and Anglicised his (obviously Jewish) surname for a while then changed it back again. I have that surname and kept it when I got married. I have an English first name and could have ended up with a much more "anonymous" name if I'd taken my husband's, but decided against it. I guess it was a semi conscious decision to keep that little bit of my heritage. However, I am basically white (arguments about Jewishness as a race aside) so I appreciate that life is easier for me in this sense.

Prince Phillip gave up his non English name

My surname some generations back, and grandparents (different) surnames were both Anglicisations to make them comprehensible/easy to say, and one grandparent chose a different English first name to be known by. They made the choices that worked for them at the time, and would laugh like a drain at any of their English speaking, English born descendants affecting a heritage that is a bit too far back to be theirs.

My paternal grandparents anglicised their Eastern European Jewish surname when my dad was little. As a result, I have a very boring English surname. I wish they hadn’t changed it but understand why they did. It feels a bit try-hard to change it at this stage, though if I ever wrote a book I might use the family name as a pseudonym.

All my ancestors anglicised their names because the British took over their country.

My great grandparents and extended family changed their name from a German-Jewish one to...a French one! No idea why, particularly as my great grandmother had an irrational hatred of the French. Some of the family changed it back, and others changed it to something different again. They all anglicised their first names - Aydel became Ada, Minna became Minnie etc etc, although bizarrely my mother and her siblings all have German/Jewish first names, and a dull English middle name, with the thought being that Yetta could call herself Joan etc.

Thandiwe is just reclaiming her name - I believe it was a US film producer who changed it to Thandie when she was mid teens and didn't feel she could argue.

Sympathies for those Jewish - many European Jews had to buy a Christian surname eg Goldberg or adopt a town name eg Woody Allen was Konisberg. Then come yet another diaspora and they are changed again to something palatable to the new country.

@JaneJeffer Which country was this? and when? Surely not Wales?

@crosstalk Ireland

Not exactly, but I often go by an anglicised nickname which is sort of short for my actual name. I also Anglicise the pronunciation of my name because it's almost impossible for most British people to pronounce it otherwise due to the letter patterns just not existing in English. I double-barelled my surname with British DH's when we married too and if I have to give my name somewhere quickly over the phone or for parcels or informal settings I will often use my nickname + DH's surname for ease/to avoid having to spell anything out. However I do love my name and I'm glad I kept my part of my surname on marriage etc it's me and my heritage. DC also has our double-barelled surname. She has also a 'foreign' first name as part of my heritage background, this is really important to me, but I was also keen to pick something easy to spell and pronounce to avoid the need for anglicisation and avoid the awkwardness of nobody being able to pronounce your name like I have.

My brother won't be reclaiming his irish name Kyrell. He'll be staying Jim