5 REASONS I’M EXCITED TO CHANGE MY NAME

I got married a whopping two and a half weeks ago and officially took my husband’s name, Jones, personally and professionally. I’ve been getting some questions from people about why I decided to ditch Burke and go Jones, so I thought I’d write it out and clarify.

(Please note that the following reasons are in NO WAY intended to judge, condemn or even throw subtle shade on women who don’t change their name. Every woman decides what’s best for her family and her career, and it’s different for all of us.)

5. I LIKE THE WAY IT SOUNDS.

As one of my youth group girls in the Bronx told me, “Kathleen Burke sounds like a nerdy librarian. Kathleen Jones sounds like she should be walking down the streets of Manhattan with a fabulous purse and heels.” Maybe I can find a way to be a nerdy librarian with a fabulous purse?

4. MY MOM DID IT (AND OTHER WOMEN I REALLY ADMIRE). 

I LOVE my mom. I know I can’t go wrong if I follow the yellow brick road paved by my wonderful mother. I loved sharing a name with her and the rest of my amazing family. Also, these women: Michelle Obama, Jada Pinkett Smith, Victoria Beckham, Susan Sarandon, Hilary Clinton, Demi Moore, and others all use their married name professionally. If they can do it, it can’t be so hard.

3. IT’S A FRESH START. 

It’s been fun changing my name. From the daily mundane, like picking new usernames, to the big stuff, like GETTING MARRIED. It’s also been a nice wakeup call for me. Who do I want to be? When people think of the name Kathleen Jones, what do I hope they think? It’s been a reminder for me that one of the most precious things we have in life is our reputation. I’m taking this time to ground myself anew in the values I want to build my life around and the kind of character I’d like to have.

2. I’VE GOT A SHORT CAREER BEHIND ME AND A LONG CAREER AHEAD OF ME.

Perhaps if I was super well known and had a million credits I’d go the way of actors like Jessica Biel and Jennifer Garner, who legally took their husbands’ names but kept their maiden names professionally. I love all the shows I did as Kathleen Burke, but I’ve got plenty of time to catch up professionally and build a Jones repertoire to be proud of.

1. I WANT TO HAVE THE SAME FAMILY NAME AS MY HUSBAND. 

All the legal, professional hassle is a molehill compared to feeling like I am on the same team with Orion. I wouldn’t have cared if he’d wanted to take Burke instead, or invent a new name for the two of us: Burke + Jones = Bones? Jurke? I just like being the same. Because marriage is a BIG HUGE DEAL. I am permanently changed for the better, having said yes, for the rest of my life, to my one amazing man. And I love celebrating it with something equally permanent. I love being introduced together as “the Joneses.” I love the idea that audience members one day could read a program and see our matching last names and know that we’re hitched. All that really matters to me is that we’re a family, named, changed forever, as one.