Member-only story
This Is Us
How to Change Your Name 3 Times
A story of transition, family estrangement, and academic achievement
I have a lot to say about names. Like most writers who’ve dabbled in fiction, I’ve spent ages trawling baby name websites, diving into the meaning and vibe given off by a particular array of syllables. And as someone who has been active in chat rooms, forums, and on social media since 1998, I have considered and tried on many labels and pseudonyms for myself.
Then there’s the fact that I’ve changed my own legal name twice. Three times, if you count when I got my PhD.
And I do count it. Getting a doctorate changed my prefix, the way people address me, the way that I go about correcting people for misgendering me. “It’s Dr. Price, actually” goes down a lot smoother than “I’m not a Ms., because I’m not a woman.” Dr. is what shows up before my name on airline tickets and pins on my lapel at academic events. Changing it altered how the world legally refers to me, so I count it as a legal name change.
It also creates a nice symmetry. My three name changes trifurcate my entire adult life up to this point, split it cleanly into three particular eras of rebellion and identity. I changed my last name when I was 18. I got my PhD when I was 25. And when I was 30, I…
