Marked for Dearth

Since my original post, many people have suggested new last names both in person and online (Phil - thanks for that extra bit of publicity). Candidates fall into the following categories:

1. Thematic. Eisenstadt means “iron city” in German. Select a word that incorporates or relates to “iron” in some fashion, either in English or some other language.
2. Geographic. Derive the new last name from the state that Eisenstadt is the capital of or a nearby city or state. (examples)
3. Historical Figures. Use the last name of an admired historical figure (e.g. Darwin, Locke, Huxley). Friends might not forgive me for calling myself Mark Darwin, though, and Mark Huxley sounds a bit hoity-toity.
4. Fictional Characters. The last good fiction I read was a pair of China Mieville novels. Mark Grimnebulin? Mark Coldwine?
5. Family. Modify a grandparent’s first/last name. For example, my maternal grandfather’s first name is Eliezer - this could be massaged into Lasser, Lasseter, or even Lazarus (its Latinized form).
6. The Joke’s on Me. Mark Fordeath, Mark Chismo, Mark Trial, Mark Yourcalendar. You get the idea.

Hopefully, I’ll make a final decision over the weekend and then jump on the paperwork.

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