On Choosing A Cool Last Name
One of the things that my future wife told me when we were engaged was that she wanted her married name to be Swan (actually, лебедь) and that she’d dreamed about it since she was a little girl. At least the cards were stacked in my favor.
“Well,” I said. “Then let me tell you a little story about how I almost didn’t get this cool last name.”
The surname swan isn’t all that rare and comes in several flavors. One “n” or two.
We are of the two “n” variety.
You see, my last name was pure happenstance. Or the fulfillment of a little girl’s dreams.
My father was born with no assigned last name. The birth certificate simply says, “Infant Duncan,” Duncan being my grandmother’s maiden name.
If you’re not familiar with the process, let me explain.
My grandmother, for who knows what reason, found herself in Pensacola, Florida, in 1927. I’m guessing it was still a big naval town then, too. At the time, she encountered a man and conceived a baby boy.
I don’t know if there was a serious relationship or if it was a one-night stand. I do know that my father was born there in 1928 with no last or even first name.
And I don’t know how long she lingered in Pensacola after the baby was born. Maybe she stayed a…
