What Do You Think My New Name Should Be

What do you think of someone in their 40's changing their name? Should I change first and last name?

I was nearly 50 when I changed my name, but I had the advantage of having just moved to a new country and city.Some people will struggle to remember your new name(s), and others may refuse to bother, but this may be a useful way to filter which people you want in your life.If you think other name(s) will better represent who you feel you are (or simply be less hassle to teach new people), then go for it. There is a fair amount of admin involved, and possibly some expense (not in the UK), but I haven't regretted it, and there's every chance that you won't either.

What do you think of the recent name change of the country Swaziland to eSwatini? Linguistically speaking, should the standard name in English become "eSwatini" or "Swatini", or should it remain "Swaziland" as an exonym?

It has struck me as an anomaly before that Swaziland didn’t adopt a new name at independence fifty years ago this year, as Bechuanaland and Basutoland did when they became Botswana and Lesotho two years earlier.Spelling ‘eSwatini’ with a lower case letter will look a bit odd, as no country does that with its name, although when referring to Nguni languages in South Africa, they put the noun qualifier in lower case, hence isiXhosa or isiZulu.This isn’t the case with Sotho-Tswana languages, where the noun qualifier is combined with the noun, hence ‘Botswana’ is the country. ‘Batswana’ are the people, ‘Motswana’ is a person and ‘Setswana’ is the language.In fact, when referring to the Swazi language in the language itself, they spell the noun qualifier with a capital letter, hence SiSwati, but spelling the new name of the country with two capital letters as ‘ESwati’ will look even stranger.It will be a bit of an anomaly having ‘.sz’ as the country’s internet domain, but no more so than South Africa having ‘.za’, from Zuid-Afrika, a legacy of when Dutch was an official language. (In Afrikaans, it’s Suid-Afrika, with an ‘s’).English speakers seem more predisposed to adopt native names than are speakers of other languages, but given that Spanish now uses Botsuana instead of Bechuanlandia, it could easily replace Suazilandia with Esuatini.As it happens, I know English speakers familiar with the country known until recently as Swaziland who affectionately call it ‘Swazi’ for short, so ‘Swatini’ would hardly be a tongue-twister for them or anyone else.

What is the best way to name a new company?

I have written few articles on this topic that you might find helpful:How To Find The Perfect Name For Your Business In Nine Steps (Forbes.com)Five Mistakes To Avoid When Naming Your Business (Forbes.com)A strong brand name is one that evokes a positive and emotional connection with your target customers. By investing a little bit of time upfront in following a structured process (such as the one outlined in the first article), you can greatly increase the odds of picking a powerful name that directly aligns with your startup’s vision and purpose.If you are looking for even more details about the naming process, you can check out our Free eBook, How to Develop the Perfect Name for Your Business eBook

Do you think changing your name can change your life?

Recognize this girl?Her name is Chloe Bennet. She’s a semi-famous American actress who’s gotten pretty big roles in the last few years. You might have seen her in shows like “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and “Nashville.”But when Chloe first began trying to become an actress in 2010, she wasn’t booking flashy TV shows.In fact, soon after moving to the bright lights of Los Angeles, Chloe found herself struggling to find work. She went to what felt like hundreds of auditions across the city, standing in long lines with other girls just like her, hoping for her big break.But no one seemed to be willing to hire her. The casting studios would look her up and down when she walked into the room, listen to her audition, and politely thank her for her time.And she would never hear from them again.For months this happened. By the end of the second year, struggling to pay rent and running out of options, Chloe began to wonder what she was doing wrong.Finally, she began to suspect it was because of her last name. The last name she was born with.Wang.Chloe Wang with her father as a childChloe is biracial. Her father is Chinese, and her mother is White.Therefore, when Chloe Wang walked into casting studios, Hollywood heard her name and immediately pegged her as Asian. Meaning she was a “type,” and not a type meant for leading roles. Or, really, much of any roles at all.So Chloe Wang decided to whiten herself. She changed her last name to Bennet.And with her very American, very white-sounding name, she walked into her next audition passing as a white woman.And guess what? Chloe got the part. A part in a TV show that ended up being hugely successful, and catapulted her into the booming acting career she enjoys today.Chloe Bennet on Jimmy Kimmel Live!Although Chloe did change her last name, she fully embraces her Asian heritage, and has actually used her platform to bring attention to race issues in Hollywood.The question remains, however, if actors of color will continue to feel pressure to whiten themselves as we move into the future.I guess we’ll have to find out.Image Source 1Image Source 2Image Source 3

Do you think a woman should take a man last's name? Why or why not?

I don’t really care what other people do. Personally, my last name carries mostly negative connotations, so I’ll take my husband’s name when I get married.If I marry the guy I’m with right now, my legal last name would change from Craig to Sizemore. There’s nothing visibly wrong with that transition. While my (alcoholic) father carries my current last name, my new one would be shared with someone I genuinely love.A name is an identifying trait. So, I’d rather be identified by someone I chose, and I definitely didn’t choose my dad. He’s caused me a lot of problems over the course of my life.That situation won’t be hypothetical in a few years, if everything goes as planned. Of course, there are other fish in the sea, and I’m a naïve little kid who knows nothing. I just know that both of our priorities both point towards spending the long haul together.Other couples can do whatever they want. That’s the beauty of living in a free country; we have choices in life. There are even couples that this question can’t apply to. Some men marry other men, and some women marry other women. It’s become a natural part of American society at this point.As long as you don’t judge me, I won’t judge you. I, for one, will be taking my husband’s last name, even if that husband isn’t Carlin. The connotations with my given last name aren’t great.At the end of the day, it’s my choice, and no one else can tell me what to do.

Do you think it should be a law that women must change their last name to their husband's name when she gets married?

No.Well, having an upvote or downvote doesn't have an affect on my self worth either way. Indignation at differing opinions isn't an issue I struggle to live with on any given level on any given day.I'm easy as.I will however, offer the reasoning you're seeking, only because I'm pretty bloody nice about shit like that.No — a woman has a legal and moral right to retain her birth name regardless of reasoning. Sometimes if she is the only child, or one of sister siblings, she may keep her name to honor her father.It's an archaic view like some view women should be tied to the kitchen sink and be the primary caretakers of home and kids.But keeping one's maiden name after marriage could also be for career reasons (celebrity, law, doctor etc) or frankly, her husband's last name is something like “Hooch" or “Lay".It's her right.I chose to take my husband's last name primarily because my maiden name and my brother’s full name is after a very famous 007, and I couldn't wait to not hear “Bond, Kelly Bond” ever again.Plus I love the man infinitely and his last name is pretty staunch.Easy as answer.