Hope,

I want to pass along an anecdote to underscore my support for your taking the name you prefer. I had a child with my partner, Molly, 13 years ago. Before he was born, the subect of his surname name arose. Following custom, he would have had my surname on his birth certificate. But my partner's parents had four daughters, two of whom had already borne children under the children's respective father's surnames. It seemed unfairly sexist that my partner's parent's family name-lineage should die out in a single generation. I already had two boys bearing my name, so for me it was no sacrifice. When our son was born, we used Molly's surname on his birth certificate. Naturally, for a while, (until politics intervened) I was the favorite son-in-law!

Now perhaps this might seem to present a counter-example, if you are an only child, or if your syblings are tradition-bound women. But I offer it to suggest that naming conventions are essentially arbitrary and we are free to tinker with them until they match outcomes that promote the greatest happiness, fairness, and kindness. Hope Huggs is a name so whimsically charming it belongs out there, where everyone can get a smile from it.