I want to change my last name from Goethe to Ferguson when I%26#039;m 18. My reason is that I get bullied for my last name because it%26#039;s pronounced GAYthe, so people say I%26#039;m GAY. I%26#039;m planning on becoming a 7th grade school teacher and don%26#039;t want my students to make fun of my name.
So how do I change my last name? I%26#039;m going to do it when I%26#039;m 18, as I previously stated.|||Your family has been mispronouncing its name. :-) Goethe is a German patronymic (a byname indicating a person%26#039;s father%26#039;s name), pronounced G脰-teh, where 枚 is a vowel not used in English. You can approximate it by saying the %26#039;a%26#039; in %26lt;able%26gt; or the %26#039;e%26#039; in %26lt;let%26gt;, but with your lips rounded as if to pronounce the %26lt;o%26gt; in %26lt;over%26gt;. If you can%26#039;t manage that sound no matter what you try, I%26#039;d recommend GO-teh as the closest approximation: the patronymic is from a pet form of Gottfried.
If you still want to change your name, you can simply start using a different name -- as long as you don%26#039;t do it with fraudulent intentions, it%26#039;s allowed -- but in today%26#039;s day and age, you%26#039;ll probably have an easier time of it if you do a legal change of name. The exact details of how to do this will vary depending on which state you live in; start with your state%26#039;s website, or do a web search for %26quot;legal name change%26quot;.|||You can change your name by Depol.
Visit your Births, Deaths and Marriages office.
Or, phone them, yo send out the paperwork.|||You go to the same court that people go to for a divorce. You can probably go to city hall and ask the city clerk if there%26#039;s a form so you can do it yourself rather than have to use an attorney.
BUT
I was always told that Goethe was pronounced %26quot;gur the%26quot; !!!|||Hmm...here in Chicago we have a street named Goethe but its pronounced GUR-tha. Might be easier to change the way its pronounced.
Anyway, go to your city hall and they will have a form and procedures for you to follow to have it changed. Why Ferguson? Kids can just as easily call you Fergie....you know how kids are.|||you could get married or much easier deed poll|||Y/A
Politics and Government
Law and Ethics
It was a little hard to find...
Maybe your question will receive a better answer there?
It%26#039;s worth a try.|||Why not pronounce it like Goethe (Long O) and tell everyone to do the same, changing it is expensive, and your name is unique. You could change the spelling on it some. Like Gothe , to sound like GAWTH. I had an uncle with the last name of Duncil, he went to court to change it and it came out Dunsil. (They didn%26#039;t want it to look like DUNCE) Don%26#039;t change the last name, just the spelling. You have a good name, I don%26#039;t think it%26#039;s anything to make fun of.
