After a lot of arguing about surnames with my partner, I think I have finally found the solution that we could both be happy with, but I need your help.
In short, I want to find a new surname for myself. One that will be hyphenated with my partner’s surname, Hew!tt for our children. The idea would then be that any male children would carry on the Hew!tt name, while female children would carry on my surname, or the maternal surname. (Frankly, I think this is how our system always should have been done… but since it isn’t, and all the surnames I know in my family come from paternal lineage, I’ve decided to strike out and make a new one).
I know Love seems like the obvious choice, but I’m gonna have to pass
Animals are my number one passion (I’m on track to be a zookeeper) so something nature-themed would probably be perfect. My heritage is English, Scottish, Irish, and Welsh.
If it helps, my first daughter will be named Tabitha. For a second, I’m leaning towards Darcy (but I have also liked Vesper, Lavender, and Waverly to give you an idea of my style and that Darcy is not set in stone.)
Go nuts and let me know if I missed any details you’d like to know!
Have you considered maybe looking through your family tree to see if any of those fit the bill? [name_u]Or[/name_u] do you want a surname completely new in your family history?
Thanks for the suggestions I am looking for a completely new surname, as each name I trace back is another however-many-greats grandfather’s surname, and I am wishing I had more connection to my maternal lineage. A name that tells the story of my mitochondrial DNA. But if there ever was a woman in my family with a surname that was just hers, not her father’s or her husband’s, it’s long been lost. So I’m starting fresh and maybe someday I’ll be that female ancestor that my however-many-great granddaughters can trace their maternal lineage back to
Are you saying that your name will be Name A-B and his name will be Hisname A-B and the kids would be Boy A and Girl B ?
This is a very interesting idea… Im not sure I get why theres a gender division. Though I do understand the difficulty with surnames since I didn’t take my husband’s last name. But that had more to do with identity and less to do with lineage. What if you only have boys? [name_u]Or[/name_u] only girls? I sort of enjoyed sharing a last name with my brother growing up… Anyway I would choose my current surname if I were you because you already have your own history with it. Ok Im sure you dont agree but just had to comment
The idea is that my surname would be A, his would be B and the kids will be A-B (or we could all be A-B). But when the kids go on to have families of their own, if they wish to continue on the tradition that I have in mind, then the girls would just pass on the A part to their children, and the boys would pass on the B part, and so on and so forth with the girls always passing on A and the boys always passing on B. And maybe they even want to drop one of the hyphenated names so they can hyphenate with their spouse’s surname.
The passing on of names is just an idea I liked to try to solve the issue of surname inequality, while still trying to maintain the idea of tracing lineage. With my luck, I’ll have all boys and this whole exercise will have been a moot point.
My main request is just for new surname suggestions though, because I do have reasons for wanting to dissociate myself from my current surname. Luckily, as a name nerd, I’m having fun with the idea of being able to choose any (nonoffensive) surname I want it’s honestly helping me to recover from all the stress and mental anguish of the long long argument my partner and I had over the issue.
Looking forward to more name suggestions, they have been great so far! [name_m]Don[/name_m]'t be afraid to suggest outside the box names - if the sound and meaning is right, I’m not afraid to take on a surname that isn’t an established surname
Fun! I did this myself and also chose a name that has a connection to animals and nature. It was great being able to choose a name that would create a nice sounding smoosh surname with my partner’s to give to our future children. I also like your plan to hyphenate!
[name_f]Do[/name_f] you have any particular animals/plants etc that are significant to you?
Some ideas:
[name_u]Green[/name_u]
[name_m]Forde[/name_m]
MacArthur
[name_u]Wren[/name_u]
[name_u]Robin[/name_u]
[name_f]Rose[/name_f]
[name_m]Wells[/name_m]
[name_m]Barlow[/name_m]
Best (“an occupational name for a keeper of animals”)
[name_f]Blakesley[/name_f]
Bevins
[name_m]Buckley[/name_m]
[name_m]Brock[/name_m]
[name_m]Colt[/name_m]
[name_u]Darby[/name_u]
[name_u]Everly[/name_u]
[name_u]Harland[/name_u]
Harford
[name_m]Lowell[/name_m]
[name_m]Lyon[/name_m]
Hawke
Mahoney
[name_u]Madden[/name_u]
[name_u]Madigan[/name_u]
[name_m]Markey[/name_m]
[name_m]Marshall[/name_m]
[name_m]Purcell[/name_m]
[name_u]Reed[/name_u]
[name_u]Rey[/name_u]
[name_u]Roscoe[/name_u]
[name_m]Rutherford[/name_m]
[name_u]Shaw[/name_u]
[name_m]Shepherd[/name_m]
Steed
Tupper
Whelan
Allaway
Appleby
Croft
[name_m]Beaumont[/name_m]
Holmwood
[name_m]Hawthorne[/name_m]
[name_u]Langley[/name_u]
[name_m]Keith[/name_m]
[name_m]Rhodes[/name_m]
[name_m]Thorne[/name_m]
[name_u]Wilde[/name_u]
Woodward
[name_u]Beck[/name_u]
Ayers
Atwater
[name_u]Atwood[/name_u]
Caldwell
Breen
Fearne
Fairburn
Irving
Kay
Kerr
Nye
Rye
Drake
Skye
Bramble
Grove
Lark
Dell
Fields
Lamb
Fir
Bloom
Crozier (other name for a fern fiddlehead)
This is just skimming the surface of nature themed surnames. Behind the Surname is a good website to search.
I am looking for a completely new surname, as each name I trace back is another however-many-greats grandfather’s surname, and I am wishing I had more connection to my maternal lineage. A name that tells the story of my mitochondrial DNA. But if there ever was a woman in my family with a surname that was just hers, not her father’s or her husband’s, it’s long been lost. So I’m starting fresh and maybe someday I’ll be that female ancestor that my however-many-great granddaughters can trace their maternal lineage back to 
it’s honestly helping me to recover from all the stress and mental anguish of the long long argument my partner and I had over the issue.