If you could change your first name, what name would you choose?

European immigrants to the USA would have their names anglicized
 

That used to happen here in Australia too, and I know some people who changed their surname from Carlosteniviski to just Carl ( made up example but you get the point)

Not so much now that multi cultural heritages are worn with pride.
 
Without intent, the life path I've followed is based on my birth name. First name is Greek in origin and surname is Latin-derived. I wouldn't change my name.
 

A couple of years after accepting Islam, I did change my first name (and took my husband's last name) but I can't share it here due to my somewhat public persona as a recording artist. I waited until after I retired so as not to have to notify my various professional contacts about a name change. My husband was very patient with me keeping my first husband's last name. I will say that I chose my new name carefully, opting for one with a "soft sound".
 
The Latino custom is to retain the mother's surname and place it last after the father's surname.

In English that would work as follows:

Father = Williams
Mother = Smith
John Williams Smith

The following famous chess player is known as Anna Cramlin. Cramlin being her mother's surname. Bellon being her Spanish father's surname.

 
As for hyphenated last names, how do you carry that onto the next generation?

Say, if Mary Smith-Jones marries Harry Johnson-Brown, is their child going to be Matthew Johnson-Brown-Smith-Jones? Then what if HE married a girl with a hyphenated name and they decided to carry on the tradition ? OK, I'm joking but it COULD happen.

The other funny thing about hyphenated names is when the two names just either don't go together or make a funny phrase. I personally knew of an English girl whose last name was Buttolph (pronounced, I assume, butt-off or at least it would be here in the States). She married an American guy with the last name of Cutter. Their wedding announcement was in the paper the same Sunday as ours. I'm assuming they didn't hyphenate their name because it would have been Cutter-Buttolph. That would have been hard to manage on a day-to-day basis. "Hello, I'm Misty Cutter-Buttolph, here for my girdle fitting...."
 
Michael Z said:
I would keep my name, but use the original pronunciation of my last name. I know I could do that now, but it would be too much correcting folks on it.
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Same with me. My first name not pronounced the way l was brought up with it by my immediate family. lt still bothers me.
 

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