My family name Hendrich is German in origin. Like the famous German composer Bach, the "ch" in my last name is pronounced with a hard "k" sound. Growing up, I did not feel that attached to the name. So when I married in my early 30's, I took my husband's name Cusumano, without hesitation. Only then did I begin to appreciate what's in a name.

If you live and work around Burbank, you are likely familiar with the many buildings in the city that don the name Cusumano. My husband is unrelated to that local family, but more importantly, I'm completely unrelated by blood to that family. So imagine my irritation when locals started to ask me if I was related to the Burbank Cusumanos whenever I introduced myself to them. I repeatedly found myself having to explain that that was not in fact my birth name.

In the winter of 2017 I was tasked with cleaning out my parents' home of 40+ years and in the process, I stumbled across a treasure trove of artifacts and documents belonging to my Hendrich ancestors. These included handwritten letters and drawings dating as far back as the 18th century. This discovery led me to plunge head first into the world of genealogy and brought me back in touch with my family name. I realized that I was part of a long line of artists. Each generation of Hendrich I found, has had at least one visual artist in the family. I eventually came around to the idea that this was the name I was meant to be known by. Not only because of my profession, but because the name you go by can serve as an opportunity to connect with others. I am now haunted by the connections I may have missed in the years that I introduced myself without stating my birth name. What if that person also knew a Hendrich and were to ask if I was related to the Heidelberg Hendrichs instead of the Burbank Cusumanos? I no longer want to miss such an opportunity.

This is why I now write out my name as Teri Hendrich C. I personally think it's an elegant way to acknowledge a spouse's last name without replacing it with your own. With that said, you can keep the "C" silent when saying my name. Just please pronounce my family name correctly, with a hard "k" sound at the end.

Drawing that hangs in my studio by Georg Hendrich, dated 1833.