What's in a name?
In Quebec when a woman marries she does not automatically take her husband's name. Happily wed in Quebec during my mid-twenties (by which time I'd grown accustomed to my "maiden" name) while living abroad (with no desire to go through the hassle of changing my passport and VISA), I quite naturally decided to keep my name.
Recently, while living in the West Midlands of England, I took to using my husband's name. It was easier and simpler, particularly at my daughter's school where a number of mums apparently consider a Ms. to be either a rampaging feminist or a divorcee. One mum told me "either you're a miss or a missus".
So I became a missus while living in England. Everytime I signed my married name I felt like an imposter on the verge of being found out. Now that I'm back in Canada and Quebec, I am surrounded by married friends all sporting the title Ms. before their maiden names. What a relief!
However, a complication has recently arisen: I am now writing fiction under a pseudonym. How ever will I keep my aliases straight?
posted by Unknown @ 9:54 AM
4 comments
4 Comments:
I have also contemplated the name changing ritual. Since I'm the last person to bear Grandpa's name, will I keep my name, do the hyphen, or let it disappear into history? Unfortunately, the boy I'm dating at the time is also the last one to carry his name, so then the awkward discussion of whose name is more important tends to arise. Perhaps the solution is twin boys with two different last names!!
ps. I love reading your blog!!!!
I always insist on Ms, but then I am a divorcee. I'll still keep my first husband's surname after Richard and I marry, though. Sounds strange probably but that's the name my children have and I'm not changing.
Re pen names. Why write under an alias? Is it because you don't feel your name sounds right for an author? Or is there some other reason?
Courtney, thanks so much! Personally, I think you should keep your name. It's only three letters, so putting it together with hubby's surname via a hyphen should work quite nicely, depending on his opinion, of course. Less confusion when you have kids too, especially if all use the same name.
Sharon, I decided to use a pen name for three reasons. Because I can (ie., the profession allows it). I'm not that crazy about my name and don't believe it's all that memorable or evocative. And, most importantly, my pen name is a tribute to my paternal grandmother whom I admired greatly (and therefore my female ancestors in general who motivate much of my writing).
That's interesting, Jeanne. I'm also toying with the idea of using an ancestor's name as my pen name, y'see. Either that or using my mother's maiden name along with a totally unrelated forename that just happens to sound good.
One reason I'm having trouble making my mind up is because it's important you can live with the name, isn't it? That it's you. I mean, after a while, that's what you'll be known as in authoring circles and I just don't see me as Lulu LaRue or similar. Peggy Plonk's more like it!
It's always fascinating to learn/understand why others do the things they do and how they differ from the way we do things ourselves, don't you think?
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