'I want to change my name but I'm worried my choice will stop me getting a job'

'I want to change my name but I'm worried my choice will stop me getting a job' A woman has sought advice on changing her first name to something 'memorable' after admitting employers may find her decision 'ridiculous' due to her existing surname A woman who is considering legally changing her first name to one she has used for three years has expressed concerns that doing so will affect her job prospects - due to her surname. Taking to Reddit, she sought advice over fears her prospective new name would be deemed "ridiculous" by others. "I have used Summer socially for about three years and am considering making it my legal first name," she began in a post. "The problem is that my surname is Winter." The woman said she initially thought putting the two together would be "funny in a harmless way" - but now she's having second thoughts. "Now that I am imagining it on job applications, medical forms, and professional email signatures, I am less certain," she confessed. "I do not want every introduction to begin with a joke about the seasons." She went on to muse: "Is Summer Winter memorable or just ridiculous?" She added Summer isn't her only option, however. "Changing my surname is not something I want to do," she said. "My other possible first names are Simone and Mara, but neither feels as natural as Summer." She closed her post in the Names subreddit with a plea, writing: "Would Summer Winter sound intentionally theatrical or fictional to you? Does the repetition make it unusable in a professional setting, or is it simply a name people would remember for five seconds and then accept? Please be direct. My friends definitely are not." The verdict was overwhelming. "Last name being Winter is one of the very few situations where you absolutely should not use Summer," one Reddit user shared. A second person agreed: "I'd make a joke every time I'd see you, not just the first meeting." A third commented: "Sorry, hard pass. It's a beautiful name, and Winter is a cool last name, but together it sounds like a sitcom or a kid's show character. I'm a big fan of Mara Winter. Simone has a nicer flow." While a fourth Reddit user declared: "Pretty silly. I know it shouldn't matter, but society is what it is. If you keep that name, it's going to be hard for people to take you seriously as an intelligent person." What are the rules around changing your name? According to the government, you can change any part of your name, add or remove names or hyphens, or change the spelling. Your new name must: - be pronounceable - not include symbols, numbers or punctuation (unless it’s a hyphenated name or part of an established name like O’Hara) - not be offensive or against the public interest (for example, adding Ltd to the end of the name) A deed poll is a legal document that proves a change of name. You cannot use a deed poll to: - change which letters are capitalised in your name - change titles, for example Mr, Mrs, Sir, Lady, or Doctor