to change or not to change?

I was just reading this article about a new trend for couples to combine their surnames together when they marry, rather than one taking the other's, or both keeping their own. I'm not talking about hyphenating (you get some really clunky names that way, eh?). This is actually combining the two names together and coming up with a brand new one.

I can see the whole equal partnership, non-patriarchal thing, but (not being a woman), that's not my big interest. It's the name change thing that interests me.

You don't have to get married to change your name, y'know. There's kids whose mother remarries and they take the new dad's name, but I wasn't thinking of that, either. I was just thinking of ... well, people getting to an age when they can legally change their name, and ... changing it. For whatever reason.

Okay, because they reject their parents. I mean, that's what it's all about, isn't it? Why would anyone change their name unless it was a way of getting back at, or severing the connection to, their parents?

Well, there was that episode on Friends when the nutcase (Phoebe) decides to change her name to something or other Banana-Hammock -- but she's wacko, and anyway, that's on TV.

I guess, if you had a really embarrassing name, you might want to change it.

So maybe there's lots of reasons to change your name, but ...

I'm thinking of changing my name. And I'm not wacko (that's maybe arguable), not getting married, don't have an embarrassing name ...

Yeah, well. It's a tough decision.