My name used to be Jodi Skeris. I never thought I’d change my last name when I got married, especially to a name that is actually from my family lineage. My dad was adopted by the Skeris family and they were not nice people. Me, my mom and dad were often left out on family events with the Skeris group. I was also teased about my “Scare-Us” last name growing up. I wanted to get rid of that last name ever since I can remember.
I struggled with the idea of taking my husband’s last name when I got married, I felt like I was losing a part of myself. I ended up taking his last name, as I do feel a strong bond and connection with his family, but I still wanted to have my family name as a part of my last name as well. I decided to do some digging into my family history and created a list of last names from my mom and dad’s family lineage.
Dennithorne is one of the oldest names in my mom’s family lineage. I can actually go visit my ancestor’s gravesite in the Southern coast of England.
Changing my name to Jodi Dennithorne felt great. I feel like I’m part of my family’s history. I love it.
A few of my friend’s were confused that my name was now changed to a completely new name: Dennithorne. One person thought I had made it up because I love Game of Thrones. I admit that it sounds like a GoT name, but that’s part of the badassary of this name. I did pick the name for how strong it sounds and I love connection to the family heritage and that I can actually go visit my family’s gravesite.
My dad’s family lineage, which we both discovered recently in 2017, is very Italian, with a strong Sicilian foundation on his mother’s side. In early 2023, with the help of a genealogist who donated her time and effort, we found my dad’s family on his father’s side. My dad loved connecting with his new found family and I’m so glad I was able to give that to him before his passing in May 2023.
I hold a person’s name in high regards, meaning if someone wants to be called something, call them what they want to be called. I take the time to pronounce their name to how they want it to be pronounced. We don’t have a choice in our name when we are born and sometimes a person doesn’t feel a connection with their birth name. Maybe they prefer a nick name or something completely different. I believe you should respect that person’s decision.
I’m proud of my name history. The names I was given and the names I chose.