Anne and Joseph are talking about an interesting question. Why do some people change their names? There can be many reasons. Hanna changed her name to Anne because she thought it would be easier for people to remember. On the other hand , Joseph is thinking about changing his name to an unusual name because he wants to be different.
People have a lot of reasons for changing their names. Film stars, singers, sportsmen and some famous people often change their names because they want names that are not ordinary, or that have special sound. They chose the "new names " for themselves instead of the names their parents gave them when they were born.
Some people have another reason for changing their names. They have moved to a new country and want to use a name that is usual there. For example, Li Kaiming changed his name to Ken Lee when he moved to the United States. He uses the name Ken athis job and at school. But with his family and Chinese friends, he uses Li Kaiming. For some people, using different names makes life easier in their new country.
In many countries , a woman changes her family name to her husband's after she got married. But today, many women are keeping their own family name and not using their husband's. Sometimes, women use their own names in some situations and their husbands' in other situations. And some use both their own names and their husbands'.
