Maiden names didn't used to be deep, dark secrets; they only started being secrets once banks started using them for authentication. When I was a kid, people shared maiden names quite casually, and when a married woman was written about, her maiden name was often included, using the French word née, which means "born." So if Janet Weiss married Brad Majors, if she got her name in the newspaper for some reason, they'd call her "Janet Majors (née Weiss)."
The name a person grows up with affects them. My given name was extremely uncommon when I was growing up; at that time, no one had ever heard it, and having everyone think my name was weird added to my feelings of alienation.
When I was in my teens, a little boy on a TV show had my name, and people started naming their kids that, so nowadays, people who've heard my name but not met me think I'm a man. And since the boy on the TV show was Black, the name is used more often by Black parents than by White ones, so I'm often thought to be both male AND Black.
There's nothing wrong with being either male or Black, but since I am neither, it can be a problem. I got a job interview once where they'd assumed anyone with my name was male, and they told me the position was for a man. Given all of that, if I ever changed my name, I can see why someone would want to know what name I'd grown up with, because they affect who we are in many ways.
(no subject)
The name a person grows up with affects them. My given name was extremely uncommon when I was growing up; at that time, no one had ever heard it, and having everyone think my name was weird added to my feelings of alienation.
When I was in my teens, a little boy on a TV show had my name, and people started naming their kids that, so nowadays, people who've heard my name but not met me think I'm a man. And since the boy on the TV show was Black, the name is used more often by Black parents than by White ones, so I'm often thought to be both male AND Black.
There's nothing wrong with being either male or Black, but since I am neither, it can be a problem. I got a job interview once where they'd assumed anyone with my name was male, and they told me the position was for a man. Given all of that, if I ever changed my name, I can see why someone would want to know what name I'd grown up with, because they affect who we are in many ways.