Is it weird to change my last name to "Matthew" according to American conventions?

[nintendonana 9]

Hi, I hope this is the right place to post this because I haven't become a citizen yet, but I have a concern in regards to after becoming a citizen.

 

I am applying for citizenship and thinking of changing my hard to pronounce ethnic last name to my father's name which is Matthew. But I keep hearing that it's odd to have "Matthew" as a last name. People are telling me that it's usually reserved for first and middle names. Is that true? Some are saying that "Matthews" is more common as a last name than "Matthew". I don't know what to choose now.

[Allie D 39]

28 minutes ago, nintendonana said:

Hi, I hope this is the right place to post this because I haven't become a citizen yet, but I have a concern in regards to after becoming a citizen.

 

I am applying for citizenship and thinking of changing my hard to pronounce ethnic last name to my father's name which is Matthew. But I keep hearing that it's odd to have "Matthew" as a last name. People are telling me that it's usually reserved for first and middle names. Is that true? Some are saying that "Matthews" is more common as a last name than "Matthew". I don't know what to choose now.

I think Matthew is fine. Isn't this type of name often a part of South Indian culture? I know South Indians living in the USA who have surnames like Matthew, Mathew, Albert, Joseph, Abraham, etc. Some of them are naturalized citizens and others were born in the USA. Some haven taken their father's first name as their surname. Others just continue on with a last name (e.g. a line of different generations with different first names but the surname of Joseph). The Indians I've met are proud of their last names and are happy to explain the cultural context.

 

Of course, if you're more comfortable with "Matthews", then go ahead!

Edited May 13, 2017 by Allie D

[nintendonana 9]

47 minutes ago, Allie D said:

I think Matthew is fine. Isn't this often a part of South Indian culture? I know South Indians living in the USA who have surnames like Matthew, Mathew, Albert, Joseph, Abraham, etc. Some of them are naturalized citizens and others were born in the USA. The ones I've met are proud of their last names and are happy to explain the cultural context.

 

Of course, if you're more comfortable with "Matthews", then feel free to go ahead.

 

Hi Allie, Thanks for your answer. It's not really part of South Indian culture, rather has to do wtih the catholic conversions and the Christian influence in Kerala. Is your name really Allie? I see that you are from India , but it's a very unusual name as far as the culture is concerned. 

[Allie D 39]

4 minutes ago, nintendonana said:

Hi Allie, Thanks for your answer. It's not really part of South Indian culture, rather has to do wtih the catholic conversions and the Christian influence in Kerala. Is your name really Allie? I see that you are from India , but it's a very unusual name as far as the culture is concerned. 

My username is a shortened form of a European name. My family has a fondness for European literature and my relatives have weaved in and out of western countries for a long time. I was born in India but have spent most of my life abroad.

Edited May 13, 2017 by Allie D

[nintendonana 9]

8 minutes ago, Allie D said:

My username is a shortened form of a European name. My family has a fondness for European literature and my relatives have weaved in and out of western countries for a long time. I was born in India but have spent most of my life abroad.

 

Sounds like you had a fascinating life. I did a search for surnames and Matthews seem to be topping the charts compared to Matthew. http://www.pbs.org/pov/apps/thesweetestsound/popularity-index/popindex.php?name=matthew&Submit=Submit

[BigDaddy28 228]

On 5/13/2017 at 1:05 PM, nintendonana said:

Sounds like you had a fascinating life. I did a search for surnames and Matthews seem to be topping the charts compared to Matthew. http://www.pbs.org/pov/apps/thesweetestsound/popularity-index/popindex.php?name=matthew&Submit=Submit

No it's not. This is America, you can chose what YOU want not what anybody else want. 

I'm a UPS delivery man and Matthew is a common last name I see here.