Sarah means princess in Hebrew, so I’ve always thought my name was pretty cool. When I asked my parents why they gave me the name, they said, “Because we liked it.” The truth is, they were very close to naming me Rebecca, but my cousin Becca was born only 2 months before me, so my parents had to go back to the drawing board.
My middle name, Jean, comes from both my grandmas. My dad’s mom is named Jean and my mom’s mom is named Val Gene. I actually had no idea what Jean meant until I just looked it up and found out it means, “God is gracious.”
My last name is definitely the most unique part of my name. It is Armenian, and has an interesting history. When my great-grandfather came from Armenia to the United States, he was only 10 years old. Living in Murray, UT he was teased about his accent and looks. So, he decided to become as American as possible. He changed his last name from Sherinian to Sheranian to try and make it easier to pronounce and “more American sounding.”
Even though it is usually misspelled and mispronounced, I’ve loved having this last name. It’s unique, beautiful, and just rolls off the tongue after my first and middle name. I get compliments on it all the time. It’s also very convenient because I am literally related to every Sheranian in the world, by 3 generations. When I was single, I thought that I would keep my last name if I ever fell in love with someone who had an awful last name like Bergerman or Shlops. Luckily, I fell in love with a Monson. A good, solid last name with just the right combination of familiarity and rarity. It moved me up the alphabet, and it is fun to use the letter M in my new signature. Plus Brent is so adorable I would take his name no matter what it was.
But here's the real question: When I change my name, what should I change it to? I want to make my new legal name Sarah Jean Sheranian Monson. I don't want to have to give anything up. But will that make my life more complicated? If I do give something up, which do I give up: Jean or Sheranian? Here are the options:
Sarah Monson
Sarah Jean Monson
Sarah Sheranian Monson
Sarah Jean Sheranian Monson
What is your advice?
10 comments:
I dropped the Rozier because I wanted to keep Amelia and the family connection that came with it. Rozier will always be my maiden name, so I don't feel like I got rid of it completely. Whereas if I dropped the Amelia it would be gone. But that's just me.
I just thought of something more, if I were you I would talk to someone who has two middle names and see how they feel about it. Does it make life more complicated? It seems like it would, but maybe it doesn't. If they say 2 middle names has not been a burden then you don't have to drop either name!
Always tricky! I love my maiden name, too! I just kept them all. Whatever you do is really up to you, though. Be Strong and to thine own self be true.
Keep it all! I believe that when we get married we don't have to give up any part of ourself, we jsut get to add to our life with this other person... and that to me is symbolized by the name. This very situation is why the women in my family don't have middle names- less decision making. ;) I'm so excited for you guys!!!
I dropped my maiden name, but I find that on most legal forms there's still a place to put it--and interesting fact: on the church's records, you'll still always go by your maiden name! They add your new last name as additional information to your record, but your official membership record and your family history file still list you under your maiden name. :) If I were you, I'd keep all four. What a cool identification. Legally you'll usually only use your first & (new) last name, so having 2 middle names shouldn't be an issue, I'd think. Whatever you decide, congratulations!!
Oh, and P.S. I've loved reading your writing samples lately! You're so talented!
I have always wondered about the exact same issue for that day I get married. Of course, with me, I would end up with three last names, and that sounds a little funny. :)
Let me know what you decide and why!
I'm still thrilled you're going to be my cousin :)
Hyphenate! Sarah and Brent Sheranian-Monson. ;) It kinda sounds like you're speaking Swedish there at the end if you say it fast.
Personally I find I never use my full name anyway (unless ID/SS is needed somewhere) so I just left out my maiden name. I'm all for simplicity. :)
So I decided to become Sarah Jean Monson. For many of the reasons you've mentioned, I don't feel like I've lost any part of my identity. Just added to it. But I'm still getting used to saying Sarah Monson. :-)
P.S. Thank you for all your comments. I really thought about what each of you said!
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