Not really worthy of a blog post, but I’ve changed my last name from “Rasmussen” to “Falk” and I thought I’d explain why this blog suddenly got “Falk” all over it. The latter being an old family name on my mothers side that’s been around for a few hundred years, it possibly came to Norway with a Danish ancestor in the 1500s. Yes, it means exactly the same in most European languages – that evil looking thing with wings in the sky.

The reason for the name change is that I’ve never really felt all that comfortable with “Rasmussen”, a name my great grand on my fathers side took when he/they emigrated to Northern Norway from the Pajalaa area in the borderlands between Sweden and Finland in the mid 1800s. Sort of a “white” name taken in an assimilation effort. So, I’ve been thinking about changing my last name for over 10 years and I had as everyone, many, many options even by just looking back a couple generations. Anyway I decided on pure and simple “Sindre Falk”, easy is best I thought. Considering my vision disability it’s sort of ironic to be named after a sharp-eyed bird too. Even more so I guess when I’m a photo nut. So, let it henceforth be known…yadayada.. ;)

Oh, my present better half, “Ann Christin Kern”, changed her last name too, to “Cappelen”, which is one of her old family names after her maternal grandfather. It’s Dutch, belonging to a family with it’s own crest and a 400 year long history in the better circles of “Norway”. She got “Kern” after her father who was born in Germany.

Alas, we both now carry good, snobby names. Clearly we’re on a stairway to upper class, gourmet dinners and conversations over fine brandy in the cigar-smoke filled rooms of exclusive country clubs. Or not.. ;) A name does not define who you are, you yourself do. However, a name you like and feel comfortable with is everyones right.