Anchorage Daily News

On Oct. 28, Kellie Rae Skjalg and Sven Eric Skjalg of Palmer joined the ranks of about 300 Alaskans who resolved to change their names last year. The couple became Kellie Rae and Eric Sven Granger.

They were tired of hearing the name mispronounced all the time, said the former Mr. Skjalg, pronounced "Shawlg," especially in stores where discount cards include customer identification and tellers are instructed to thank each one by name.

"They never get it right," he said. "And in places like doctors' offices they tell you to spell it out all the time."

They decided to become the Grangers, Kellie's maiden name, "because it's more American than my Norwegian name," he said. He switched his first and second names because "My wife calls me Eric and everyone else has always known me as Eric."

Four years after her divorce, Julie Hasquet-Woolston decided to go back to the pre-marriage name everyone knows her by, plain old Julie Hasquet.

"It's a very long name," said the spokeswoman for former mayor, now Sen.-elect Mark Begich. "Very cumbersome."

Some computer programs won't accept a hyphen, making her "Hasquetwoolston," or cut off the last letters, she said. "It doesn't fit on an airline ticket," she noted, speaking by phone while changing planes in Seattle.

People wanting a new legal name are asked to give a reason "consistent with the public interest" in the petitions they file with the courts. This was Jerry Wayne Frasier's reason:

"When I meet anybody and tell them my name the first response is oh-h Jerry Springer. Jerry, Jerry, Jerry almost without fail. I have determined that pop culture isn't going to change, so I have to, because I can't stand this anymore."

Frasier wanted to become Romy Shale Fortissimo, but left the state before the process was completed.

Craig Hunter Rodgers was renamed Hunter Alexander Radzikowski Marshall after he told the court, "My previous name has been trashed by lies, perjury and slander."

To start the process of changing your name in Alaska, you fill out a one-page petition and a form for notifying agencies like the Social Security Administration and the Division of Motor Vehicles that a name change has been granted. The former must be notarized. File both forms with the court and pay a $150 fee, get a court date and take out four consecutive legal ads in your friendly local newspaper telling the world in general -- and any creditors in particular -- that you plan to change your name.

In other words, it takes effort and money.

"It's a ridiculously expensive process," said Hasquet. "I'm spending between $250 and $300 to change my own name. When I got divorced, the judge asked what name I wanted. He said, 'Today it's free. From here on out, it will cost money.' I never dreamed it would be so expensive, but at the time it wasn't high on my priority list. I don't know who to write to, but when this is all over, I may write a letter asking why it's so high."

The Grangers agree. "We thought about it afterwards and wondered if it wouldn't have been cheaper to get an annulment and remarry," said Eric. Alaska law provides a more streamlined procedure for people getting married.

The former Skjalgs wondered whether a no-fault divorce and new marriage license wouldn't be cheaper and faster. The formal name change "appears to be a long, long process for what seems like a simple thing," he said. "But either way, you got to go to the courthouse."

Here's a list of Alaskans who decided to dump their old names last year, along with the new names they picked for themselves:

Michael D. Robinson -- AbdulKarem AR-Robinsoni

Dana Beatty Drinkard -- Virginia Dana Beatty

Glendon Franklin Swain -- Swanee Frank Swain

Bobby Dewayne Kirkwood -- Luna Eclipse

Caire Ann Bishop -- Maileia Leilani-Rose O'Shea-Grantham-Kealoha

Russel Clark Polk -- R C Polk

Emily Marie Regina -- Kotoko Kaydoa

Timothy Joseph Kemp -- Tiffany Juliet Kemp

Marlyn Paul -- Euphrasia Dayton-Demoski

Jamie Jo Tanner -- London Jamie O'brien

Harold David Thigpen -- Dave Michael Thig

Amanda Buttenob -- Amanda Wright

Find Mike Dunham online at adn.com/contact/mdunham or call 257-4332.

If you were changing your name, what would you make it? Post your comments below.

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