For me, I had been using my muslim first name for years without legally changing it. When I was about to get married, I realized I’d better change it officially now if I was ever going to. While I was at it, I thought why not do away with the family name while I was at it. It’s a typical polish nameski that noone outside the family could pronounce right. My dad used to tell people it meant “Strong Bow” with a straight face but our family has confirmed with Polish natives that it has absolutely no meaning. Half our extended family had already dropped it, anglicizing it to Kaye. And if a polish last name was a hassle in the US, just imagine my poor son in Malaysia, Muhammad Ridhwan Kruszewski bin Anonymous Kruszewski. I thought about assuming a simpler family name, but it seemed pointless at best or affected at worst. In the end, I went with my father’s first name, non-hereditary: the Bin system. I’m happy with the decision in the end. The Bin system makes our existence seem even more fleeting here on this earth. Ridhwan has learned all the first names back to my great-grandfather. We ask his name and when he replies, say “bin?”, “bin?”, “bin” till he runs out of names. I don’t know if he would have learned that if I didn’t use this system. I feel like my progeny will remember my name as long as my memory means something to them, and when that’s gone, their duas for their ancestors will reach just as effectively as duas for all the Kruszewskis gone by, insha’allah.