If you could choose your surname...

[ButterflyOfFreedom]

...what would it be?

A bit random I know but sometimes I hear a surname and think 'ooh, that's a good one'!

Mine is pretty comical but definitely could be worse... though if I could choose, I'd go for Cathcart or Brocklebank!

What would you pick?

I have no idea what name I would choose or want, although I think it would be a simple because my bloody last name is so stupidly spelt that I say my last name and spell it straight away, it has 2 silent letters in it!

I also someone called Fox and it makes me chuckle

I really like my surname now, and quite liked my maiden name. My married surname is of french origin and sounds lovely with lots of names so I feel very lucky.
I did hear about a boy with the surname Tinkerlily when I was at school, and thought that was lovely 😊

Our local graveyard includes the grave of one Honour Christmas. Wouldn't want the name, but it is rather fabulous!

I had a friend in primary school with with surname Swan and I always thought it was lovely

I've had two surnames that are hard to spell and pronounce so I'd go for something simple, but possibly with a nice meaning connected with nature. Wood, Lake, Stone, something like that.

Kirby - I love it. I actually met a couple with that surname and looked nuts because I yelled "arghhh, that's my favourite surname - that's amazing, I'm so jealous!!"

In the Foundling Hospital in Coram Fields, Bloomsbury (such a great museum), there is a wall with the names of all the children. They were renamed on arrival if their actual names were given, and some of the names are great!

You can tell when a particular member of staff did the naming as there seem to be a few themes. Lots of them have jobs for names - farmer, Farrer, Cooper, Carpenter. Then another lot have geological features as their last names - River, Mountain, Hill, Vale. Another theme are birds - Sparrow, Starling, Robin. And famous people like Kingdom Brunel, William Shakespeare etc.

It’s a very moving wall.

Every child came with a token so their (usually illiterate) parents could claim them back if their circumstances changed. Things like a Queen or Hearts card, a roughly engraved coin and in one case, a hazelnut. So even though their names had changed you could say, ‘ My baby was the one brought in on the fourth of April and the token was a coffee spoon’. And you’d get your baby and the token back. The museum is full of moving tokens of the unclaimed babies.

That was a bit long, sorry.

Oh god I killed the thread. I’m so sorry.

Diamond or Flower.

I know people with both of those names.

I don’t think this is a weird thread. I’m interested to know which surnames other people like.

I think I’d go for Silver, but I’ve always liked Marsden and Winter as well. I also like many Italian and Russian surnames.

I once had a boyfriend who was so obsessed with himself knew he wouldn't know what my surname was. So I asked him, and he told me it was Hamilton. I thought it was a great name, so ran with it.

If Starbucks asked for a surname I'd tell them it was Hamilton.

I love my surname but if I could choose then it would probably be Midnight

Mackenzie

I love my surname.. happily changed my boring maiden name to DHs cool one on marriage. Has caused some confusion as people don't believe it's real, esp with DHs job. It's quite rare so DD1 and I have unique names within the UK, DD2 shares her name with one other person (elderly lady, not a relative). DH has a more common first name.

When I was younger I wanted my great grandmother maiden name- Buchanan.

Rainbird, I think, if I were to choose.

But unlike the name I've had all my life, so I'll stick with that.

*I like. Not unlike.

There is an NFL player called Richie Incognito and the surname is just amazing so I think I’d go with Incognito

I’d rather like a very English surname, I have a really harsh Russian one that people struggle to say and make loads of presumptions about (mainly that I’m a Pole married to a builder or can’t speak English). I’d like an anonymous but smart name, Middleton it something along those lines. I’ve actually considered trying to anglicise mine, but there’s nothing close enough I can think of.

Quite liked reading this. Always liked O'Sullivan.

The museum thing was interesting too, I'd love to see it, did you mean they were evacuees? You didn't say why/where they'd be taken from and who to? I will google.

Oh wow @FredaFrogspawn sorry I see it's a Foundling hospital - didn't pay enough attention 😂 looks really interesting.

Freda,
The story behind the tokens is so moving.
I must visit there sometime.

I know someone called Paul Rainbow. He is fittingly a very cheerful person.

I like old English names...I would happily be historysock Plantagenet for example.

What a fab thread. I've had three surnames...maiden name and married twice and disliked ALL of them. First two were very boring - think Smith and Wilson. Current one is a bit embarassing. Similar to Ramsbottom. I didn't like it when I met DH and I'm still not happy but I was sick of ex Dh name. I'd like to be Macleod I think. From Highlander.

DeWinter
Blake
Duncan
Buchanan

All good strong surnames