- My last name is Pretzel and I love it.
- I once had a pretzel company offer me a job based solely on my name.
Nearly 90 years ago, my great-grandfather, Paul Pretzel Sr., told his son, Paul Pretzel Jr., that when he got older, he could change his name if he wanted to. "I guess it's sort of an odd name," he told his little boy.
When my grandpa recounted this conversation, he shrugged and smiled. "But I like my name. I think it's sort of fun," he said. And so does the rest of our family — especially me.
I love having the last name Pretzel. People smile when I introduce myself. They giggle when I whip out one of my canned pretzel-themed jokes about being "salty" or a little "twisted." Once, a gourmet pretzel company flat-out offered me a sales job based on nothing but a short conversation and the fact that my name is so adorably delicious.
Over the years, I've heard people say that unique or odd names make a person's life harder, suggesting they're more vulnerable to teasing and mean nicknames. But I've found that having a "weird" last name can be great.
My family is proud to represent our unusual last name
Not every unique name comes with a physical representation but ours, Pretzel, does, and over the years, pretzels have served as a sort of mascot for our family.
My relatives and I have been known to collect pretzel-themed home decor, wallhangs, and jewelry. To this day, my most treasured kitchen item is a pretzel-shaped bottle opener I got as a gift more than a decade ago. I'm often seen running errands with my pretzel-shaped purse. My mom never fails to put out bowls of crunchy pretzels whenever she's entertaining, and I also have an aunt who, at her wedding, surprised her guests with a warm, soft pretzel at every table setting.
My pretzel pride even extends to my choices in travel. In college, I decided to study abroad in Austria, knowing that some of my ancestors originated there. I was excited to see the cities where my family once lived, and I was also excited to see what kind of pretzel merchandise I could find. I pictured myself returning with bags and bags of cool "Pretzel" shirts and keychains for my family.
To my surprise, I learned that in German, pretzels are called "bretzels." Alas, I came back with fewer souvenirs than expected — but I was inspired to improve my own authentic "bretzel" recipe.
Our unique name has given us a good sense of humor
Having a unique title is one thing, but I think it's the silliness of our name that makes it so special. In fact, I've found that having a food-themed last name has forced our "pack of Pretzels" not to take ourselves too seriously and has encouraged us all to have a healthy sense of humor.
Some of us have sustained a little playful name-based teasing over the years — but we're OK with laughing at ourselves. In fact, I'm proud when one of my well-practiced pretzel puns makes others smile.
A unique name isn't for everyone
While all my living family enjoys our food-tastic name, at least one relative apparently didn't appreciate it. My great-aunt didn't like the family name and legally added an extra "L" to the end, altering it to Pretzell — which rhymes with "Cornell."
To my knowledge, no one in the family was offended by her change — I think they knew that some unique names aren't for everyone.
I love my last name so much that, when my daughters were born, I wanted them to have both my and my husband's last names. Maybe the choice is a little untraditional, but I love getting to pass down one of my family's most treasured family heirlooms.