Oh, or this woman who did have a Chinese great-great-etc-father.

Here is how I am ridiculous: Years ago, I said that one of the things that would make me change my name if I got married is if I could change it to an obviously ethnically unlikely name. (Other reasons: to change to Kennedy, or James.)

I wish anyone in my department would leave -- I hate to be the first one out! But I might just have to make that sacrifice.

Here is how I am ridiculous: Years ago, I said that one of the things that would make me change my name if I got married is if I could change it to an obviously ethnically unlikely name. (Other reasons: to change to Kennedy, or James.)

Hah! Most people assume my obviously-two-nationalities combo comes from marriage.

When really one of my only reasons for wanting to get married when I was younger was to get rid of my last name.

Timelies all!

Hmmm, I don't think my first name evokes any particular culture, and my last name appears to be German, though G's family is Russian. Not that weird, really.

think its worth noting that Robinson was asked before Rick Warren was announced as leading his invocation -- this isn't a patch job, it was the plan from the start.

Also not sure this is true. Obama's staff waited so long to announce Robinson because they were afraid people would stop being mad at them?

I always like the name Seraphina, for possibly obvious reasons.

I really want people to stop changing their minds at the last minute. Or changing their minds and not telling me until the last minute. I got a heads up on the latter, but have I heard from those with the authority to ask for it? NO. It's a clear pattern with these folk, but knowing doesn't change the effect they are having on my work life. And nothing we do, not even taking things hostage and getting yelled at, is changing their behavior.

I use the name Firstname Brooks Lastname, as I took my grandfathers middle name as my middle name. So many people who knew me as Firstname Lastname think I am married even though it is not hyphenated.

Also, a Facebook college friend got married right out of college, had a baby and divorced. She recently remarried, and for the ease of the child has a hyphenate lastname of her first husband's last name and her current husband's last name. Which made it confusing for me to place her, since I knew her as her maiden name AND someone else in college had her firstname and her first husband's lastname.

My cousin has a hyphenated last name, because her daughter has her maiden name and her son has her husband's name, and she didn't want to exclude either of them, which I think is nice.

I think of hyphenated names and I think of my sister's best friend's mother, Mrs Moyston-Cumming. Her daughter didn't take the hyphenated name.

My thing gets more confusing because I have my mom's last name. She was never married, is not Italian, and her middle name is McClellan, which makes her sound like a hyphenate. I am Italian-American and self identify as such, but don't use the Italian family name. And people who look at me tend to think Italian or Jewish, depending on their own ancestry. My mom was also one of the only "white" girls growing up in an Italian American neighborhood-- which fills me with fascination as of course Italian is considered white nowadays, but clearly not in my mom's mind in the 40's - 60's when she was growing up. Also, she hung out at so many neighborhood Italian houses that she is practically Italian American-- she even swears in Italian and has the "way to much food for guests because we could possibly run out" thing down! And strangely when they moved to the "country" they moved to a country town which was predominately (at the time of me growing up) Italian American/Catholic.