My wife's late husband was named Jim Cock. When he moved from the UK to the US, he wisely changed his name to "Cox."

With a name like "Offer," I've received my share of abuse - expecially in my first couple years of high school. I'm proud of my name and wouldn't think of changing it - but it did hurt when a certain faction decided to make fun of my name every time they saw me.

My name is part of who I am - it tells my story, and the story of my ancestors. Yes, it's hurtful to play with someone's name.

I suppose my wife has a different perspective, and may not be as tied to the name she was born with. She was born Christine and changed to Christina, and some of her friends have had three major first name changes and a number of last name changes. My wife has kept her surname, Slowick, since birth - although it was Anglicized when her grandparents arrived at Ellis Island from Poland.

-Joe-