I reckon I'd keep my last name. I like it, even if I do have to spell it all the time. I'd want to pass it on to my kids too, especially given the lack of male brothers or cousins to hand it down.
Different names does cause problems though - I know a girl who has her biological father's surname but lives with her mum (who kept her own surname) and her step-dad. So, three people, three different surnames. The school have just about figured out the mum thing, but the step-dad has trouble if he just tries to sign permission slips. Part of me thinks it might be because they live in a very suburban part of the world and you don't get away with that kind of parochial 1950s world view in inner London any more.
On the academic side, a friend of mine decided to change his surname to match the rest of his family (long story) at the start of his PhD to avoid any problems of publishing under more than one name. Since he left academia at the end of the PhD it all seemed a little pointless.
Not sure what the point is, except maybe that there is something in a name, and even if you get through traumatic family experiences you may find yourself faced with a lifetime of irritating bureaucracy as a reminder.
no subject
Different names does cause problems though - I know a girl who has her biological father's surname but lives with her mum (who kept her own surname) and her step-dad. So, three people, three different surnames. The school have just about figured out the mum thing, but the step-dad has trouble if he just tries to sign permission slips. Part of me thinks it might be because they live in a very suburban part of the world and you don't get away with that kind of parochial 1950s world view in inner London any more.
On the academic side, a friend of mine decided to change his surname to match the rest of his family (long story) at the start of his PhD to avoid any problems of publishing under more than one name. Since he left academia at the end of the PhD it all seemed a little pointless.
Not sure what the point is, except maybe that there is something in a name, and even if you get through traumatic family experiences you may find yourself faced with a lifetime of irritating bureaucracy as a reminder.