When indie musician Todd Baechle married Orenda Fink, he made a decision that rocked some worlds. He took his wife's last name.
Fans of his band, the Faint, buzzed about it. Music writers were confused when he said he had a brother in the band, even though every member has a different last name. The move initially miffed his parents.
And — most troubling for Fink — it was grueling to navigate the legal process of changing his name. Many county and state officials didn't know what to do.
"Humans trust traditions," said Fink, now married three years. "But some things are worth changing. Sometimes you have to walk off the sidewalk if you want new experiences."
There's a slow-growing trend for men to take their spouses' last names. No local, state or national agency records the instances, but anecdotal evidence nationwide indicates it's more common, said Mark Rosenbaum, a lawyer and University of Michigan professor of law who has led legal charges in California to make the process as easy for men as for women.
Employees at the Douglas County Clerk's Office, which issues marriage licenses, recall about five men who have made the choice in the past decade. Jackie Fairbanks, registration supervisor for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services' vital records division, hasn't seen many, but she has noticed more in the past year or two.
Todd Fink made the choice for a number of reasons.
His future wife was pursuing a solo music career after having been half of the pop duo Azure Ray. Todd Fink didn't want her to have to change her name after having established her own musical identity. They debated using separate last names, but they planned to have children and thought the different names would be confusing for the kids.
The decision to take his wife's name was one of the easiest parts of the process.
When Todd Fink informed his family, his parents were surprised — and not pleased.
"They eventually accepted it," he said. "They understand I'm still the same son I was before, even though I have a different name."
When Fink couldn't get a straight answer from government officials on how to change his name, he pursued a formal name change — a roughly $500 process that required him to hire a lawyer, file paperwork, have his name change publicized for four consecutive weeks and appear before a judge. Fink had to testify he wasn't changing his name to evade creditors or a criminal history.
CONT.http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=1219&u_sid=10450923
this guy approves.........
<a href="http://s163.photobucket.com/albums/t284/buster65photos/?action=view¤t=crying.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t284/buster65photos/crying.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Fans of his band, the Faint, buzzed about it. Music writers were confused when he said he had a brother in the band, even though every member has a different last name. The move initially miffed his parents.
And — most troubling for Fink — it was grueling to navigate the legal process of changing his name. Many county and state officials didn't know what to do.
"Humans trust traditions," said Fink, now married three years. "But some things are worth changing. Sometimes you have to walk off the sidewalk if you want new experiences."
There's a slow-growing trend for men to take their spouses' last names. No local, state or national agency records the instances, but anecdotal evidence nationwide indicates it's more common, said Mark Rosenbaum, a lawyer and University of Michigan professor of law who has led legal charges in California to make the process as easy for men as for women.
Employees at the Douglas County Clerk's Office, which issues marriage licenses, recall about five men who have made the choice in the past decade. Jackie Fairbanks, registration supervisor for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services' vital records division, hasn't seen many, but she has noticed more in the past year or two.
Todd Fink made the choice for a number of reasons.
His future wife was pursuing a solo music career after having been half of the pop duo Azure Ray. Todd Fink didn't want her to have to change her name after having established her own musical identity. They debated using separate last names, but they planned to have children and thought the different names would be confusing for the kids.
The decision to take his wife's name was one of the easiest parts of the process.
When Todd Fink informed his family, his parents were surprised — and not pleased.
"They eventually accepted it," he said. "They understand I'm still the same son I was before, even though I have a different name."
When Fink couldn't get a straight answer from government officials on how to change his name, he pursued a formal name change — a roughly $500 process that required him to hire a lawyer, file paperwork, have his name change publicized for four consecutive weeks and appear before a judge. Fink had to testify he wasn't changing his name to evade creditors or a criminal history.
CONT.http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=1219&u_sid=10450923
this guy approves.........
<a href="http://s163.photobucket.com/albums/t284/buster65photos/?action=view¤t=crying.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t284/buster65photos/crying.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
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