Newlywed Writer -- Should You Change Your Name?

People – especially women and same-sex couples – face a decision when they get married: keep or change your last name? It’s a special dilemma for writers. I got married at age 48, and my husband’s name is Hugo Reynoso. He’s from Argentina. We tied the knot in a lovely English/Spanish ceremony under some trees on the Calaveras County fairgrounds in California – on an April day, hence my subject for this month’s blog. I chose not to ‘name-hop’ – I stayed Amy Smith.

I’ve been Amy Smith since leaded gas, Bewitched, and free-range childhood. Literally thousands of students know me as Professor Smith. I’ve published lots of academic articles and a book under the name Amy Elizabeth Smith.

For people with kids, using one family name has its practical advantages. Of course, you could change your name legally but still publish under your birth-name. Or, you could hyphenate. But those options might not be for you. Maybe you’re child-free, or like things consistent, or don’t want a name with 20 letters in it.

Let’s draw up a good old-fashioned Pro’s/Con’s list, with a special eye to writers:

Pro’s for a Name Change:

Enjoy some variety – A new name can be fun for you. Ever want a new identity (non-criminal reasons or otherwise)? Have some relatives you’d rather not be associated with? Marriage is your big chance to get a new name without raising eyebrows.

It’s an extra bonus if your name is insanely common. According to “howmanyofme.com,” there are 6,547 Amy Smiths in the United States. Add in Canada, the UK, New Zealand, Australia, etc., and it’s probably at least 9,000. (Did you just pop out a moment and run your name? Find a lot? Bet there weren’t 6,547, unless you’re one of my long-lost Smith cousins named Mary or Ann. Or Mary Ann).

9,000 is a lot of Amy Smiths. We are legion. Can’t be quite as many Amy Elizabeth Smiths, but the number still must be in the hundreds. Sometimes I think it would be a hoot to rent a hotel ballroom in Vegas and invite every one of them for a giant Amy Elizabeth Smith party. Really mess with the hotel registration staff.

Grab attention – Fun for you aside, a snazzy new name can appeal to readers. Adopting an eye-catching pen name is a super common practice. Some writers like it so much, they become greedy and pick more than one. Ever heard of Eleanor Alice Hibbert? Me either. But you may have heard of Victoria Holt, Jean Plaidy, or Philippa Carr. All the same lady. Hibbert was a committed (sub-) genre-hopper. So much so that she changed names for each sub-genre of fiction she published – historical romance, gothic, mystery, thrillers, etc.

Anne Rice of Interview with the Vampire fame created a pen name for her sub-genre hop from horror to fantasy erotica – A. N. Roquelaure. So quaintly French. And just a bit lewd. For her modern erotica, she went with Anne Rampling. Which to me . . . sounds like a new take on the old Kipling joke: “Do you like Kipling?” “I don’t know, you naughty boy – I’ve never kipled!” I’ve never kipled or rampled. That I know of.

If the person you’re marrying has a nice memorable name like Bardugo or Tahir or Nix, that’s a bonus – you don’t even have to make one up. But even if your partner’s named Nguyen or López or Jones, you’ve still got options. Some couples adopt a whole new name entirely – both change their names. The world of naming is your oyster. In fact, you could both take the name Oyster. Or not. Unless you write nautical tales or seafood cookbooks.

Con’s of a Name Change:

Create confusion – Publishing under one name then switching to another could throw readers off. If somebody read my travel narrative and wanted more, would they recognize me as Amy Reynoso? How would they find me? Sure, I could explain this on my website – but if I want my readers to be genre-hoppers too, why make it harder for them?

Agatha Christie published romances under the name Mary Westmacott and it took decades for anybody to catch on. But when you’re raking in as much dough as the 20th century’s bestselling mystery writer, worrying about sales across genres isn’t a big deal. Most of us these days would like our readers to follow us from one genre to another.

Suggest false identity – Let’s say I go from a Smith – in my case, Irish/German/Welsh roots – to a Reynoso – for Hugo, Spanish/Native American/Italian roots. Suddenly on paper I look Latinx. I’m legally entitled to that name, of course, and I’m not criticizing people who take a name outside of their own cultural heritage.

But some readers could feel misled. If I publish a mystery novel set in Buenos Aires under the name Reynoso (draft in the works – more on that in an upcoming post), it sounds like I could be a local. Even looking at an author photo won’t settle the matter – race and ethnicity aren’t just about skin color or looks. So, would using Amy Reynoso be cultural appropriation? No. But it could look that way to some people if it seemed like I was using it as a selling point.

“Stooge for the patriarchy” – I first heard this phrase in grad school. It’s a bit of an eye-roller, but can’t be entirely dismissed. Like it or not, assuming for millennia that women are second-class citizens does mess with all of our heads. How could I come across as an equal partner (publically at least) if I go from Dr. Amy Smith to Mrs. Hugo Reynoso? My first name’s not Hugo. And where’d my PhD go?! Of course it’s a woman’s choice, and choice is what feminism is about. But it’s a choice that confirms (publically, at least . . .) whose identity matters more.

Most guys I know don’t consider themselves sexist. Still, ask the average straight guy if he’d change to his wife’s name if he got married, and he balks. Looks genuinely incredulous. “No way. Why should I? My name is my identity! I need to pass on my name!” Some will even admit this: taking woman’s name would make them look ‘whipped.’

When we get into this topic in one of my English classes, here’s when LGBTQ+ folks speak up. They know that if they get married, they’re facing a decision, not a default. Keep both names? Choose one or the other? Hyphenate? Pick an entirely new one? I try not to be too touchy about sexism and equality (because however righteous, it’s exhausting) – but until straight couples routinely have the same conversation about names, we’re not there yet.

What does my husband have to say about all this? “I fell in love with Amy Elizabeth Smith. I think you should stay Amy Elizabeth Smith.” Isn’t he a great guy?

Amy Elizabeth Reynoso does have a nice ring to it. But Amy Elizabeth Smith still feels right. A smith is a worker. Like, a wordsmith. Bottom line, writer or otherwise, only you know the right choice for you.

Check back for upcoming guest posts by Indigo Moor and others!