A rose by any other name...

October 17, 2007 11:06 PM

What surnames would work well with a first name of "Dresden"?

I've been contemplating legally changing my name- it's clunky, alliterated (and not in a good way) and was the result of my father demanding to have a child after him (and for the past six years I have been trying to sever any connections with him I can).

Dresden is a handle I've used online for years, and I've contemplated going through the formal legal application for a name change. Thing is, off the top of my head, I can't think of a surname that sounds like it goes well, or a middle name either. They don't have to be conventional middle names or surnames- I just want something that sounds nice, and won't prompt too many people to ask "Where did that name come from?"

Thanks in advance for your help, mefites!

posted by Glitter Ninja to Human Relations (68 answers total)

For starters, there's Dresden Codak.
posted by lou at 11:10 PM on October 17, 2007 [1 favorite]

Jones goes with everything.

Dresden Jones.
posted by Bookhouse at 11:10 PM on October 17, 2007 [2 favorites]

Dresden Smith
Dresden Turner
Dresden Hill
Dresden Williams
Dresden Jones
Dresden Thompson
Dresden Clark
Dresden Lewis
Dresden Roberts

I know, they're all pretty common names, but "Dresden" makes them unique. Plus, they're so common so as to not spur your feared "where did that come from" questions, and so easy to pronounce / spell that people won't ever need to ask you.
posted by fvox13 at 11:15 PM on October 17, 2007

I saw the name Dresden and immediately thought "Dresden Cauliff" without even thinking about it. For whatever that's worth.
posted by Vic Morrow's Personal Vietnam at 11:26 PM on October 17, 2007

If I saw "Dresden Lewis" on a form, I'd probably immediately wonder if it had been written [Lastname, Firstname] but with the comma dropped out.

I understand trying to be unique, but if I were you I think I'd keep "Dresden" as the surname. Or else pick a surname that's very obviously a surname and not a first name, unless you like explaining to bureaucrats that, yes, your first name really is Dresden, your last name is (whatever).
posted by Kadin2048 at 11:29 PM on October 17, 2007

Dolls.
posted by crinklebat at 11:31 PM on October 17, 2007

If you're going to go to the trouble, I'd include a more ordinary first or middle name too. That way you can go by Dresden as long as you like, and if you ever decide you want to be Liz or Julia for any role in your life, you'll already have the paperwork done.
posted by LobsterMitten at 11:34 PM on October 17, 2007

If you are going to pick Dresden, why not a German name?

Dresden Schwartz
Dresden Linden
Dresden Apfelbaum
Dresden Kohler
Dresden Himmelberg
Dresden von Himmel

Here are some more:

Bader
Bauer
Bayer
Becker
Berger
Braun
Brinker
Bruder
Eisenhower
Fischer
Fleisher
Fleischman
Fuchs
Gerber
Gross
Hahn
Hartman
Heinz
Hermann
Hoffman
Hoffmeyer
Huber
Jaeger
Jung
Kaiser
Kaufman
Kellerman
Kessler
Klein
Koch
Kohler
Krause
Kruger
Lang
Lehmann
Meyer
Mauer
Morgen
Muller
Neuman
Peters
Richter
Roth
Schafer
Schmidt
Schneider
Schubert
Schumacher
Schuler
Schultz
Schultz
Schuster
Schwartz
Snyder
Studebaker
Vogel
Wagner
Walter
Weber
Weir
Werner
Wolf
Zahn
Zedler
Zimmerman
Zuckerman
posted by zia at 11:46 PM on October 17, 2007

The very first thing that came to my mind was Roberts too. (I think because it sounds very similar to this name.
posted by Brittanie at 11:47 PM on October 17, 2007

Dresden Erstollen (joke - a type of tasty cakelike treat)

(Also, item is kidding about Dresden Bombing, but I do think you want to avoid anything that brings the bombing to mind; that's my first association with the word, and an awkward one. It's a bit like naming yourself Hiroshima. A nice word, but a lot of baggage.)

I think vfox13 has a good idea - go for the easy to communicate last name. To this end, check out the 1000 most common surnames in the US. There are so many that would work it's hard to start sorting...

On a quick pass,

Dresden Harris
Dresden Cooke
Dresden Whitley
Dresden O'Neil
Dresden Snyder
posted by LobsterMitten at 11:51 PM on October 17, 2007

Best answer: You want something with a nice cadence. My instinct says two syllables, with the emphasis at the end. Like Dresden Monroe, or Dresden Sinclair.
posted by jjg at 11:52 PM on October 17, 2007 [1 favorite]

First thing that came to mind was Dresden Glasfactrie, for whatever reason, but that'd definitely prompt comment. Are you sure you want firebombing and Slaughterhouse Five to be what people automatically think of when they first meet you?

If you're committed to Dresden, though, I think fvox13 has it: any common surname is embellished and improved by hanging a Dresden in front of it. The first name is a new identity for yourself, and people do name their kids the darnedest things these days, but in choosing a surname you're creating a new backstory. Were it I, I'd look to old British trade-related surnames and choose something that resonated for me. So... where would you like to be from? What trade you wish your nth-great progenitor had plied? Come to think of it, what field do you envision finding yourself in? This is a unique opportunity to bend serendipity to your will.
posted by mumkin at 12:11 AM on October 18, 2007

I think dactyllic names sound nice (I always think of Joyce in Ulysses pointing out that 'Malachi Mulligan' is dactyllic), so I'd go with an amphibrach to match your trochee. It'll have the meter of 'Holly Golightly'.

I like the name Dresden. It has old world charm but is unique. Don't pick anything that's also a real word. Your name will sound like "Dressed in X"
posted by painquale at 12:11 AM on October 18, 2007 [1 favorite]

Dresden's a mouthful (a lovely, exotic mouthful, but still). I'd go with a quick, blunt name that gives it some ground to stand on. Dresden Price. Dresden Clark. Dresden Zell.

Who are your heroes? I wouldn't go for obvious (I met a guy who changed his name to Michael Ono - lame), but fictional characters (say, Dresden Glass if you're a Salinger fan), first names of famous people you admire, (Dresden Hunter if you're a Hunter S. Thompson fan), etc.

Look up the meanings of names and find one that fits you and who you want to be. (Dresden Oliver - Oliver meaning "Elf Arrow" in Welsh)

If you're going to walk away from a name with a bad connotation, start with something that makes you smile.

Are you going with a middle name? It might be interesting to consider the name in total, either with an interesting initial (Dresden Q. Price) or what it makes as a monogram (DOA? DDD?)
posted by Gucky at 12:16 AM on October 18, 2007

Picking something with son on the end makes it an obvious surname, and further distances you from your father. Is there someone in your life who is a surrogate father to you? You could honor them in this way. If not, I'm picking Larson out of a hat.
posted by BrotherCaine at 12:21 AM on October 18, 2007

Dresden Carmichael.
posted by Brian James at 12:23 AM on October 18, 2007

Best answer: I agree with jjg about the cadence and double-syllable framework, but I would open it up to surnames with emphasis at the beginning, such as:

Dresden Hawthorne
Dresden Miller

Also, I like the ring of:
Dresden Ray
Dresden Hart
Dresden Fields (so idyllic!)
Dresden O'Conner

As an aside, if I were to change my name, I'd want to have something that's fun when paired with my gendered title. For instance if you are a female and go by either miss or ms., might I suggest:

Dresden Elainea (Ms. Elainea = miscellany)
" Chief (mischief)
" Isle (missile - actually, Dresden Isle is quite a lovely name!)
" Tary (mystery)
" Teak (mystique)

...though, for the sake of finding a fitting surname, I would suggest against Dresden Nomer (har).
posted by numinous at 12:32 AM on October 18, 2007 [1 favorite]

Oooooo, Dresden Carmichael. I really like that. Good one!
posted by numinous at 12:33 AM on October 18, 2007

Just adding that "Roberts" was for some reason, my first thought as well. Must mean it would be memorable.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 12:34 AM on October 18, 2007

How about the subtly humorous approach?

You could go for a geographical joke, like "Dresden Saxon" or "Dresden Dutch".

Any of the last names that double as nouns (e.g., Smith, Miller, Sumner, King, Oldman, Silver, Bloom, Summers, Mayor, etc.) would work well, because then "Dresden" would look like an adjective in that context. You could also try German noun-last names (e.g., Schmidt, Schneider, Fischer, Mayer, Weber, Wagner, Becker, Hoffmann, etc.).

My personal choice, though is: "Dresden Ovda Internets."
posted by epimorph at 12:43 AM on October 18, 2007

Lobstermitten gets one point for his mild squick about "Dresden Bombing", but we're obliged to take half a point away for his suggestion of Harris.
posted by genghis at 12:43 AM on October 18, 2007

Dresden Turner was the first name that came to my mind. I also like the name with monosyllabic last names.

Suggestions:

Dresden Parks
Dresden Finch
Dresden Roth
posted by arianell at 12:46 AM on October 18, 2007

Agree with Gucky - one sylabble, leading with a hard consonant. Dresden Kang.
posted by Leon at 12:49 AM on October 18, 2007

going a bit west of the border and mixing it up with dutch could give you:

kaasjager - Cheese hunter
van der straaten - from the streets
naaktgeboren - born naked
posted by jannw at 12:54 AM on October 18, 2007 [1 favorite]

Can't say why but the first thing I thought of was "Dresden Powell". Sounds a a little bit film noir, a little old-money. I also like arianell's suggestion of "Dresden Roth" for the same reasons.
posted by ninazer0 at 12:59 AM on October 18, 2007

Dresden Frank.
posted by flabdablet at 1:08 AM on October 18, 2007

Dresden Feuersturm
posted by Abiezer at 1:21 AM on October 18, 2007

you might be going from a rock to a hard place with that change. or, as we say in german, vom Regen in die Traufe kommen.

the thought of using Dresden as a first name sounds at the very least odd to me as a german. you'd get some rather perplexed looks in germany if you introduced yourself there like that and people might end up liking you to Max Power.

just sayin'...
posted by krautland at 1:39 AM on October 18, 2007

I like Dresden Finch, as suggested by arianell, largely because I've got a schoolgirl crush on Atticus Finch - and I like the connotations of "doing right", especially if you're trying to get away from negative connotations.

I also really like Dresden Clark for the sound. So far the monosyllabic last names have resonated better than the double-syllable ones.

I also think you're awesome for doing this.
and somewhat wish that when I changed my legal name to tack on an English first name on top of my awkward to pronounce Chinese name, I had the courage to change it to Phire. I considered it, but my parents would've killed me, and my professional future would've been somewhat difficult I imagine.
posted by Phire at 1:41 AM on October 18, 2007

Dresden Tralfamadore
posted by rongorongo at 2:26 AM on October 18, 2007 [1 favorite]

Fein Rhee / Gladd Ragz / Sunday Best / Buttless Chapps

But seriously, I like painquale's suggestion of an amphibrach to balance and soften what may strike some as a bit unusual/harsh-sounding, e.g.:

Dresden Gioconda
Dresden O'Malley
Dresden Maroni
Dresden MacFadden
Dresden LaSelva
posted by rob511 at 2:26 AM on October 18, 2007

Dresden Demeulemeester
posted by fire&wings at 3:08 AM on October 18, 2007

Restrict it to a bland monosyllabic second name, It emphasizes the Desmond which you llike.

Something like Desmond Grey . . .
posted by Neiltupper at 3:56 AM on October 18, 2007

Dresden Zane. Sounds like an exotic....cowboy.
posted by pearlybob at 3:59 AM on October 18, 2007

Dresden Derry.
posted by Wolfdog at 4:14 AM on October 18, 2007

Dresden Smallberries
Dresden Yaya
Dresden Littledresden
Dresden Bigboote
Dresden Parker
Dresden O'Connor
posted by conifer at 4:21 AM on October 18, 2007 [1 favorite]

Dresden Pheonix?
Dresden Moonunit?

I assume you know the significance of the town, but Dresden Smithereens or Dresden Apocalypse might not be appropriate for your legal full name.
posted by Dillonlikescookies at 4:32 AM on October 18, 2007

Dresden Potter.
posted by Abiezer at 4:34 AM on October 18, 2007

Best answer: Dresden Cooke and Dresden Roth sound right to me for some reason. Like authors, or playwrights, or dashing bachelors.
posted by jeanmari at 4:54 AM on October 18, 2007

You can use mine and be Dresden Darling.
posted by davey_darling at 4:54 AM on October 18, 2007

Pick two short but typically disparate nouns and sandwich them together. I.e. Grid & iron = Gridiron. If you stick to all masculine or feminine words (in the linguistic sense) you can generate an infinite number of cool last names. Masculine: Arrowbow just sounds funny, but Barrelshield does not. Ammotrack, Hammerpike, Icenail, Marchcliff, etc.

On the feminine side, it's harder to do without sounding too weird so mix the language up. Adeltea, Sugarfleur, etc.

If you cross both together you can get traditionally "evil" names, depending on how obvious the words are since sometimes they seem to hide as a traditional ending, such as with pike and cliff above, or if they are more gender neutral. Icefleur vs. Adelpike, Sugartrack... etc.
posted by jwells at 5:06 AM on October 18, 2007 [1 favorite]

Could it be anything but Dresden Holmes?
posted by battlecj at 5:11 AM on October 18, 2007

Do you have some variety of ethnic background (I assume you must, because it's hard not to)? I would be more inclined to stick within that, but I don't know what it is.

It strikes me as weird to have someone of Italian descent with the last name of O'Malley, or someone of Polish descent with the last name of Ricci. People are capable of noticing this discrepancy to varying degrees, and the same will hold of the first name Dresden.
posted by that girl at 5:24 AM on October 18, 2007

Do you have a favorite literary character?

Dresden Caulfield.
posted by booth at 5:25 AM on October 18, 2007

I immediately thought of Dresden Copper. Not sure why.
posted by KathyK at 5:38 AM on October 18, 2007

Dresden Ott
posted by drezdn at 6:37 AM on October 18, 2007

I think the name Dresden Montgomery sounds delightful. I don't know why, it's just the first thing that popped into my head.
posted by inigo2 at 6:41 AM on October 18, 2007

You could go in a more hobo direction by using the City Name followed by a descriptive word or First name like

Dresden Slim
Dresden Jake
Dresden Joe

etc.

Plus, it'll start you on the right foot for a career in pool hustling.
posted by drezdn at 6:44 AM on October 18, 2007

Your middle initial could be S. and then your last name could be burning, so your full name could be dresden's burning.

That's my vote.
posted by history is a weapon at 6:52 AM on October 18, 2007

I find it hard to resist "Dresden Codex", but I'm funny that way.
posted by rokusan at 7:45 AM on October 18, 2007

Dresden Hilton.
Dresden Bush.
posted by Count Ziggurat at 7:54 AM on October 18, 2007

Response by poster: Thanks for all the suggestions so far! I've marked as best some of the ones that sound good.

A couple of things:

I'd rather my name not be a joke, political reference, etc.

I don't want someone else's name/pen name. :)

I'd also rather stay away from German or other foreign last names (aside from the fact I can't pronounce them, I think the first name Dresden with a German surname might be a little tasteless.)

You've had some great suggestions so far though, and I appreciate all your help!
posted by Glitter Ninja at 8:27 AM on October 18, 2007

I kind of like the alliteration possibilities with Dresden

Dixon, Delaney, Durst, Didactic(hehe), Downs, Dilbert

But then's there's the possibility of the nickname 'Double D'.
posted by mnology at 9:22 AM on October 18, 2007

Uh...Dresden Gaede?

(Younger sister of the white supremacist twin-blonde girl-group Prussian Blue)

If I were you I'd go with something else...
posted by Joseph Gurl at 9:37 AM on October 18, 2007 [1 favorite]

I like

Dresden Cooke
Dresden Brown
Dresden Daly

You could use your middle name as your last name too - sometimes that sounds good.
posted by MiffyCLB at 10:52 AM on October 18, 2007

I can't say I'd recommend Firebaum...
posted by stenseng at 10:53 AM on October 18, 2007

My two cents - after I read Dresden Price, I started saying things like, "I really like Dresden Hart... but it's not as good as Dresden Price."
posted by damnjezebel at 1:07 PM on October 18, 2007

Dresden Gefegt

Gefegt: bombed
posted by rhinny at 1:43 PM on October 18, 2007

I like the single-syllable option. I don't know why, but I keep coming back to the surname Cope. Dresden Cope.
posted by Orinda at 2:09 PM on October 18, 2007

Are you goth? You could totally pull off Dresden Black!

On a more serious note, you could also take this opportunity to memorialize a favorite musician, writer, artist, actor etc. -- something that has impacted your life somehow. The place or street where you were most happiest in your life?

I'm also sort of fond of the two first name approach for surnames:

Dresden Charles
Dresden Henry
Dresden Scott
Dresden Bartholomew

Personally, I'd stay away from anything too alliterative.
posted by missmobtown at 2:44 PM on October 18, 2007

Find something about you or something that is important to you and use that. Dresden Forrest, Dresden Starr, Dresden deJane, Dresden Cali. It sounds 'off' to me when someone becomes StarSoul DreamSeeker, but if you keep it subtle, it would be soul-lifting when you use it. Of course, I named myself Theora Fifty-five, so take that into consideration.
posted by theora55 at 2:49 PM on October 18, 2007

Seriously, the Prussian Blue connection didn't put anyone off this idea?

There's a reason nobody names their kids Adolf anymore, after all.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 7:16 AM on October 19, 2007

Indeed. Dresden Hale?
posted by streetdreams at 9:00 AM on October 19, 2007

Do you really want a significant sector of the population to think you purposefully named yourself after a notorious war crime?
posted by footnote at 11:07 AM on October 19, 2007

Mod note: a few comments removed, a name that "sounds nice" isn't likely to be racist words in german
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 4:00 PM on October 19, 2007

Feltenstein
posted by Captaintripps at 11:22 AM on October 20, 2007

Isn't the little sister of the neo-Nazi moppets "Prussian Blue" named "Dresden?" I believe she is so named to invoke the glories of the Third Reich.

Be careful.
posted by spitbull at 4:16 AM on October 21, 2007

Dresden Banks.
posted by BugsPotter at 8:13 PM on October 22, 2007