# Choose my new last name! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 8, 2009, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-my-new-last-name/499078 "2009-06-08T08:27:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NRichards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@NRichards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NRichards)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-my-new-last-name/499078/1 "2009-06-08T08:27:03Z")
My divorce was officially finalized in January, but haven’t been able to decide what I will change my last name to. I haven’t seen my biological father since I was 11, so I want to stay away from the maiden name. Don’t have much contact with any family at all anymore. So the options are wide open. I want something unique, maybe even unusual. My first name is Nicole, for reference sake. So what do you say, fellow Dopers? What should I change my name to? ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-my-new-last-name/499078/2 "2009-06-08T08:31:22Z")
Tupointoh or Ravenscroft (I always wished I had something like that) ---
**Author:** ![NRichards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@NRichards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NRichards)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-my-new-last-name/499078/3 "2009-06-08T08:35:08Z")
I was thinking maybe something from Firefly… Reynolds…Frye…or _gasp_ Book. How cool would that be? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-my-new-last-name/499078/4 "2009-06-08T11:39:43Z")
I had a cousin in a similar situation. She chose “Starwalker.” ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-my-new-last-name/499078/5 "2009-06-08T11:42:37Z")
Schmicole ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-my-new-last-name/499078/6 "2009-06-08T11:43:01Z")
> [@NRichards](#): > > My divorce was officially finalized in January, but haven’t been able to decide what I will change my last name to. I haven’t seen my biological father since I was 11, so I want to stay away from the maiden name. Don’t have much contact with any family at all anymore. So the options are wide open. I want something unique, maybe even unusual. My first name is Nicole, for reference sake. > > So what do you say, fellow Dopers? What should I change my name to? My sister changed hers, and I still don’t actually understand why. She wasn’t married and doesn’t hate us. She chose to adopt the last name of an author she’s fond of. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-my-new-last-name/499078/7 "2009-06-08T11:51:56Z")
Awesome. Nicole Awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-my-new-last-name/499078/8 "2009-06-08T11:56:05Z")
Puddin’. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-my-new-last-name/499078/9 "2009-06-08T11:58:12Z")
Jingleheimerschmidt. It’s my name, too. ---
**Author:** ![Staale\_Nordlie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Staale\_Nordlie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staale_Nordlie)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-my-new-last-name/499078/10 "2009-06-08T12:02:09Z")
Why make up your mind? Go with [Nescio](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nomen_nescio). 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-my-new-last-name/499078/11 "2009-06-08T12:32:05Z")
Nicole Nicole (so good they named it twice 🆒) Nicole Kidman (seize the website name!) Nicole Scherzinger (get Lewis Hamilton as a boyfriend 😉 ) Nicole Elocin (easy to spell) ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-my-new-last-name/499078/12 "2009-06-08T12:51:36Z")
I don’t have a specific suggestion, but I think a two-syllable name with the accent on the second syllable would sound good. Like “Bourdain”, but not that, of course. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-my-new-last-name/499078/13 "2009-06-08T12:54:43Z")
Miner. Wear a hard hat too. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-my-new-last-name/499078/14 "2009-06-08T13:04:16Z")
> [@VunderBob](#): > > Jingleheimerschmidt. It’s my name, too. 😛 _I_ was going to make that joke! ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-my-new-last-name/499078/15 "2009-06-08T13:10:33Z")
Nicole N. Dimed ? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![LilyoftheValley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@LilyoftheValley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilyoftheValley)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-my-new-last-name/499078/16 "2009-06-08T13:29:54Z")
Nichols Qwertyuiop Ummm…what do you do for a job? Then we could put you in one of those threads about people who have the perfect last names for their occupations. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-my-new-last-name/499078/17 "2009-06-08T13:35:13Z")
Nicole Bolas? ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-my-new-last-name/499078/18 "2009-06-08T14:01:10Z")
> [@glee](#): > > Nicole Elocin (easy to spell) Oh, dammit, you took mine. \>\_\> I agree with LilyoftheValley - using your occupation is a good one, too. Queen (for those times when you’re addressed by last name first, then first name - ‘Queen, Nicole!’). Given how this is coming up, the word for ‘free’ or ‘freedom’ in some language. (I like the German Frei. You can change this to ‘Fry’ to avoid misspelling/pronunciation, and make the derivation less obvious, if you wish.) ---
**Author:** ![SunSandSuffering](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@SunSandSuffering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunSandSuffering)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-my-new-last-name/499078/19 "2009-06-08T14:12:18Z")
Power. Gotta be Nicole Power. ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-my-new-last-name/499078/20 "2009-06-08T14:14:50Z")
[Fish Called Wanda] Otto: Look, you obviously don’t know anything about intelligence work, lady. It’s an X-K-Red-27 technique. Wendy: My father was in the Secret Service, Mr. **Manfredjinsinjin** , and I know perfectly well that you don’t keep the general public informed when you are “debriefing KGB defectors in a safe house.” [/FCW] [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-my-new-last-name/499078.md?page=2)