InglésDon’t like your name? Then change it!
These days, more and more people are changing their names. Last year in the UK, around 58,000 people decided that they wanted a different one. So why do people make this choice, and how easy is it to do so?
Celebrities change their names because they need to create an image for themselves. In the past, male actors needed to have a masculine name, which is why Marion Robert Morrison chose to call himself John Wayne. Singers look for a name that their fans will remember, which explains why Reginald Kenneth Dwight decided to become Elton John. In the world of fashion, Eleanor Nancy Gow did not become successful until she changed her name to something more stylish: Elle Macpherson.
However, it is not only the famous who seek to change their name. Today, ordinary people do it too, and some of them do it for fun. They often find inspiration in their favourite singers or sporting heroes. In the past few years, 30 men have changed their names to Michael Jackson, 15 more to Wayne Rooney, and five women have become Amy Winehouse. But you have to feel sorry for Liverpool fan Shaun McCormack who changed his name to Fernando Torres six months before the Spanish footballer moved to a different club.
Other people have more serious reasons for changing their names. In many cases, they want to have more privacy, so they choose a name that will not stand out. John Smith is the most popular of these names, and recently, over 300 people have chosen it. Women who separate from their husbands often want to change their children’s surnames to their own. Others want to escape the past or unwanted connection. After the events of 11 September 2001, US-born model Wafah Dufour took her mother’s maiden name because she did not want to be associated with her uncle. His name was Osama bin Laden.
So how do you go about changing your name? In the UK, it is easy because no one is legally obliged to use the name on their birth certificate. However, if you want to change your name on your bank account or on official documents, you need proof. The proof can be a letter from a responsible person, such as a doctor, a public announcement in a local newspaper, or an official document called a deed poll. Deed polls are available free of charge on the internet, although some people prefer to pay a solicitor to help them with the papers.
The fixation with changing one’s name shows no sign of slowing down, and there will probably be more Wayne Rooneys by this time next year. But whichever celebrity is popular at the time, the name will never be a match for the latest group of John Smiths.
Ejercicio
Vocabulario
Mejora tu vocabulario: Enlaza cada palabra con su definición correcta.
Cuestionario
Pon a prueba tu habilidad reading en inglés y marca las siguientes frases como T (true) or F (false).
