One I'd definitely take

Back when Bill and Emily were engaged, Ceirdwyn did her valiant, feminist best to convince Emily to keep "own" name rather than take a "man's" name.* At one point, as the discussion was starting to repeat itself (and was heading downhill a bit), I said that I had already given great thought to whether I would change my name if I got married and that I had a two-point list of criteria:

1. Whether or not my husband's name would sound weird with mine, and a surprisingly large number of surnames do sound weird when combined with Leta; and
2. Whether or not my future mother-in-law would have daily conniptions if I didn't take my husband's name.

"Leta," quoth Ceirdwyn repressively, "those are very silly reasons."

Well, yes, but who cares?

I actually rather like my name as it stands because, among other things, it's balanced and symetry is the way things have to be.** My first name is four letters, my middle name - Madeline - is eight, and my last name is four.

But when I saw this article, and specifically this sentence Assistant United States Attorney David Leta is prosecuting the case I saw my destiny. I will marry that man, take his name, and be Leta Leta.*** Look at all the good reasons for doing so:

1. His first name is David, so the transition will be very easy for my friends and family;
2. He's a lawyer and I like most of the lawyers I know. And I have lawyers on both sides of my family;
3. As a couple we would be introduced as Leta and David Leta; and
4. On official paperwork I'd be listed as Leta, Leta Madeline which sounds very poetic.

The downside is that people who have trouble remembering that my name is pronounced Lee-tah, not Let-uh will have the opportunity to mispronounce both my first and last names instead of just my first. Ditto for those who insist on misspelling it.

And true, David Leta and I have never met, he seems to live in Georgia, and for all I know he's aready married or loves reality tv or has some other impediment to our union, but following the example of the Duchess of Plaza-Toro, I should not allow such minor considerations to stand in my way.

And if he won't have me, then perhaps Frank Leta has an eligible son.


*One can - especially if one wishes to wind up Ceirdwyn, which is always fun - point out that Emily's "own" name was also a man's name and that if she changed her name when she married than she was taking the name of a man she had chosen rather than one who was more or less assigned to her.

**You can't chop down the symetry.

*** Or rather Leta Madeline Leta.