I could not help but laugh out loud when you translated my name from the Spanish. That is how I exactly explain the origin of my name, plus the fact that I was named after my maternal grandmother. The Philippines was early on influenced deeply by Spanish / western / catholic culture, it is embedded in everything Filipino (even our country was named after the Spanish king Felipe-Philip). Yes I am personally interested in pursuing a name change to purge myself of the trappings of xianity, if you would be so kind as to point the way. That path though may not be so easy to tread. I am trying not to alienate my spouse. Lately as we both mature to middle age I have been trying to reassure her of my deep love for her and my desire to have her walk with me in Torah.

I would also like to ask if I could transmit questions which could be answered directly in private rather than being posted publicly on the blog as some are very personal issues. תודה רנ

There are three basic directions you might take in choosing a name:

1. You can choose whatever name you like and check that it isn't conspicuously Christian.

2. You can find synonyms for your name (like sail instead of cross / cruise and messenger instead of angel), and then either translate that into a Spanish name, or choose a Spanish name that sounds similar, and isn't conspicuously Christian

3. You can find a name of a favorite character in Ta•na"khꞋ.

As I mentioned in the previous message, you might then want to run it by me to make sure there isn't any serious error.

After that, it's simply a matter of making a legal name change; inexpensive compared to most legal work – followed by a lot of bureaucratic red tape and headaches changing driver's license, auto registration, notifying your insurance companies, employer and bank, new checks and credit cards (name change on your mortgage if you have one), notifying social security and the military if you served, post office, digital services accounts (your ISP and the like), every company that bills you from your electric company to your phone company, from municipal services to your cable company, etc. Every one of them will require a copy of your legal name change – and more than a few may demand notarized copies. I've been through it – not to mention getting accustomed to answering to a new name (something especially relatives may find maddening). Not as easy as it sounds.

Regarding questions, most turn out to be FAQs answered in our Kha•vᵊr•utꞋâ. Others typically require that you have the basic knowledge contained in the Kha•vᵊr•utꞋâ in order to relate to my answer. So please defer questions until after you've completed our Kha•vᵊr•utꞋâ.

Keep up the good work.