keep your last name and give your kids that last name and keep it as a constant reminder to be a better parent to them than yours were to you.
It really depends on the situation. I got disowned and changed my name and feel like it gave me a fresh start. In my situation, the family name had some bad associations with it (great grandfather was a thug and jailbird, grandfather is a drug dealer, father a deadbeat but very violent when he was around, uncle is a cokehead, aunt is a prostitute).
Many people I know or have contact with recognize the name and associate it, rightly, with shitheads. If your situation is similar, and a clean break is desirable to get a bad reputation off your back, it is definitely worth it. If it’s a petty issue that may be resolved eventually, I say keep the name.
[quote]strengthstudent wrote:
It really depends on the situation. I got disowned and changed my name and feel like it gave me a fresh start. In my situation, the family name had some bad associations with it (great grandfather was a thug and jailbird, grandfather is a drug dealer, father a deadbeat but very violent when he was around, uncle is a cokehead, aunt is a prostitute). Many people I know or have contact with recognize the name and associate it, rightly, with shitheads. If your situation is similar, and a clean break is desirable to get a bad reputation off your back, it is definitely worth it. If it’s a petty issue that may be resolved eventually, I say keep the name.[/quote]
Damn, congratulations on breaking that cycle.
Mikey, I say man up and force your Parents to change THEIR name. Or you could go with Mike Litoris. Allthough it won’t be an origional name.
V
Morris Lester Goode… your friends can call you Moe
Lets not forget Hugh G. Rection
I think your parents are still winning if you are still thinking about how much power their name has. Move to a different city or state and try to move on.
Also, Luke Steel Cage Bullet Washington Jackson just screams “bad mutha…shut yo mouth!”
Richard(read “Dick”/“Rick”) Thunderwood
Shaka Bronson
I’ve thought about doing this, having had the local cops associate me with my brother on more than one occasion.
[quote]Vegita wrote:
Mikey, I say man up and force your Parents to change THEIR name. Or you could go with Mike Litoris. Allthough it won’t be an origional name.
V[/quote]
x2
But I disagree with the demotivational poster about “doing it wrong.” On the contrary, that’s a great name IF you can handle it. Here’s how I would handle the inevitable questions.
Example:
Person: Geez, man… How did you end up with a name like Mike Litoris?
Mike: Well, you know how those diet experts say that you are what you eat? It’s true!!
I agree with those who say keeping your name and making it something to live up to is the best solution.
Either that or select from the cornucopia of excellent names that have been suggested so far. 
Some good ideas gents. As I said, I’m hesitant to change my last name since I’ve kind of made my own mark on it at this point, but I’m almost sure to change my first two names. However, my knowledge of my last name doesn’t travel past my own grandfather. The man was an abusive drunk (but he did fight in WWII). In other words, beside my siblings, as I see it, I’m the only credit to the name so far.
I’d really rather keep the specifics as to why I was disowned to myself. Considering all the reasons a person could be disowned makes my father’s reason extremely minor, especially since I’ve actually done nothing to bring shame to the name. All the more reason for me to disconnect myself from parents who treated me well as a child, but poorly in this second half of my life as an adult. In general, I was disowned for not allowing my parents to disrespect my wife and child. The end result was that they felt I was not giving them enough attention or sufficiently catering to them when we did see each other.
mike
[quote]Professor X wrote:
I think your parents are still winning if you are still thinking about how much power their name has. Move to a different city or state and try to move on.
[/quote]
Names carry our history, they are important.
That said, I’ve lived (at least) several hundred miles from them since I left home at 18. I’m not struggling to move on, this just seems a part of the process.
mike
[quote]Mikeyali wrote:
Some good ideas gents. As I said, I’m hesitant to change my last name since I’ve kind of made my own mark on it at this point, but I’m almost sure to change my first two names. However, my knowledge of my last name doesn’t travel past my own grandfather. The man was an abusive drunk (but he did fight in WWII). In other words, beside my siblings, as I see it, I’m the only credit to the name so far.
I’d really rather keep the specifics as to why I was disowned to myself. Considering all the reasons a person could be disowned makes my father’s reason extremely minor, especially since I’ve actually done nothing to bring shame to the name. All the more reason for me to disconnect myself from parents who treated me well as a child, but poorly in this second half of my life as an adult. In general, I was disowned for not allowing my parents to disrespect my wife and child. The end result was that they felt I was not giving them enough attention or sufficiently catering to them when we did see each other.
mike
[/quote]
It’s just weird to hear you asking this question at 30 (according to your profile) since you were disowned at 18.
[quote]therajraj wrote:
[quote]Mikeyali wrote:
Some good ideas gents. As I said, I’m hesitant to change my last name since I’ve kind of made my own mark on it at this point, but I’m almost sure to change my first two names. However, my knowledge of my last name doesn’t travel past my own grandfather. The man was an abusive drunk (but he did fight in WWII). In other words, beside my siblings, as I see it, I’m the only credit to the name so far.
I’d really rather keep the specifics as to why I was disowned to myself. Considering all the reasons a person could be disowned makes my father’s reason extremely minor, especially since I’ve actually done nothing to bring shame to the name. All the more reason for me to disconnect myself from parents who treated me well as a child, but poorly in this second half of my life as an adult. In general, I was disowned for not allowing my parents to disrespect my wife and child. The end result was that they felt I was not giving them enough attention or sufficiently catering to them when we did see each other.
mike
[/quote]
It’s just weird to hear you asking this question at 30 (according to your profile) since you were disowned at 18.[/quote]
This all happened when I was 30.
mike
You are still young. Give it time perhaps your relationship will heal. If not, travel the high road and have no regrets.
A name change seems like unnecessary provocation.
What, no love for the last name Dastardly? You don’t want to be known as Dick Dastardly for the rest of your life?
changing your name seems like one of those drastic things you do after a bad breakup that you end up regretting