Should I change my name back? Would you? Please advise...

[diPrenda]

I am interested in what you guys think about changing your name back to its original spelling. The story goes that the midwife accidently misspelled the last name of my grandfather when he was born in the USA. His father was "di Prenda" or DiPrenda and he became DePrenda. Some of his brothers are also spelled DePrenda and some are spelled DiPrenda.

I am suspicious that he and some of their brothers or their mother helped them at birth to change the name to stave off either discrimination or jokes, Dip-Stick, Dip-Shit. Dippy!

I am 38 and I already have two sons named DePrenda as is my father and grandfather and brothers. Should I stick with the DePrenda name (surprisingly some others NOT directly related to me also have the same last name in the USA!) . By sticking with this name it shows a clean start for my branch. But then it might be said that in a way it robs me of the authenticity of the name and the heritage. What would you guys do? Anyone heard of people changing back to the original spellings of their surnames?

[JamesBianco]

I wouldn't change your name, di and de are often interchangeable in Italy. My grandmother was Antonina Leone, yet her grandfather was Vincenzo de Leone, and his father Antonino di Leone. You have lived 38 years with this name, what purpose would it serve to change it at this point?

Jim