STUDYING THE SHAKESPEAREAN play Romeo and Juliet all those years ago, I may have wondered, will there ever be practical working grounds to use any of William’s quotes in the future?

That occasion has still to present itself to me. However, there is one little stanza forever imprinted on my brain: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose. By any other name would smell as sweet.”

Children of sworn enemies the Montagues and Capulets, Romeo and Juliet met their tragic end as a result of their families’ feud. Juliet was emphasising a rose would still smell like a rose even if it was called something else. According to our heroine, names aren’t of importance.

Juliet, allow me to make a riposte. “Lord, what fools these mortals be.” I get your beautifully-made point, but I beg to differ.

Our name holds personal meaning. It is the cornerstone of our identity, a source of pride. It can be cultural providing a strong connection to our family lineage. It’s our legal identity. It gives us a sense of self and if we’re lucky (or, in other words, famous) enough, we can go by our first name only. Isn’t that right, Madonna, Cher, Beyonce and Bono?

I kept my own name when I got married. As did most of my childhood friends. The patriarchy had begun its slow torturous change. However, in recent months my husband and I found ourselves needing to arrange some sort of financial security for our later years. The paperwork identified me as Mrs Husband’s Surname. When I addressed this, I was asked, for the sake of convenience, to just sign using his........

© TheJournal