Behind the Name: The Embarrassing Truth About People Who’re Afraid of Their Own Surname
Have you ever met someone whose face turns bright red upon introduction, simply because someone whispers their surname in their direction? Maybe you’re that person too? If you’ve ever hesitated to share your family name with your date, colleague, or even your partner, you’re not alone. There seems to be a peculiar phenomenon circulating the internet, where individuals are mortified of their own surnames!
Research suggests that roughly 45% of people experience anxiety or some sort of discomfort when sharing their birth certificate with strangers. Why exactly would someone feel this strong connection to a simple title appended to their first name, especially when they know it was born out of arbitrary historical influences or family heritage? Digging deeper, it appears several theories attempt to explain this peculiar situation.
One possibility behind the dread is linked to perceived public perception and stigmatizing connections. Some believe that because individuals are initially introduced primarily as their first name, they might get saddled with unnecessary social prejudices – whether related to one’s family background, personal choices or specific reputation. Another thought is that because personal identity tends to resonate from our surnames reflecting various cultural backgrounds, the stress derived from this comes from pressure of adapting to a social context associated with their birth family
Social media is also underpinning these concerns within several circles of close friends while their shared concerns with surnames reveal the complexities and interconnected influences that these simple noms can bear.
So while fear of their surname is considered unique, there seems to emerge no definitive way to totally combat this phenomenon
Related article: The impact of surname preference
Related article
When was the concept of surnames and how they originated originally?
Q&A and Interesting Facts:
1/ If you can share only the first name you want.
I have found it lessened the sense of uneasiness for my last name’s being a target of public
5/ So you did well by getting your last known that it did not matter anyway – your true self always stayed
11/ One would not really understand someone.
