I'm the Last of My Line

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FalloutJack

Bah weep grah nah neep ninny bom
Nov 20, 2008
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Bah! You fool! It's time for the CLONE ARMY! What kind of villain are you?!
 

Recusant

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Plinglebob said:
DizzyChuggernaut said:
You don't have any cousins at all? A family tree doesn't come to an end when a single branch does.
Assuming traditional naming conventions, if your father's siblings are all female (like mine are) then a name can come down to 1 person.
Assuming your grandfather was an only (male) child, and his father, and so on and so on and so on, back to the beginning of the name. Unless your name is only a few generations old, it's really, really, really unlikely that you're actually the last.
 

Thaluikhain

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Recusant said:
Assuming your grandfather was an only (male) child, and his father, and so on and so on and so on, back to the beginning of the name. Unless your name is only a few generations old, it's really, really, really unlikely that you're actually the last.
I happen to have a name that is only 3-4 generations old, myself. Anglicised version of a Latvian or Russian name.
 

Rylot

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May 14, 2010
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Yeah, I'm an only child too but no real prospects, but my last name is Taylor and I'm pretty sure the world isn't running out of those.
 

Tsun Tzu

Feuer! Sperrfeuer! Los!
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Well, I think it's obvious what you have to do.

Now get on out there and make somebody!
 

DerangedHobo

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Jan 11, 2012
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Rename yourself Stannis B Mannis and
try not to sacrifice your offspring to fire gods
.

In all seriousness, legacy (especially one that relies upon children or some organization) is hollow. At best, it fizzles out down the line anyway, at worst, it crashes and burns and you're stuck (providing you're still alive) wondering why you pissed away so much time and effort on such a trivial pursuit.

Although, if you are so inclined to have children, I do implore you to adopt. That's probably one of best things (morally speaking) that an individual can do, especially if they are able to have children of their own but refuse to do so.
 

Paragon Fury

The Loud Shadow
Jan 23, 2009
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DizzyChuggernaut said:
You don't have any cousins at all? A family tree doesn't come to an end when a single branch does.
I do. But they're named differently, or female.

Or dead.

LostGryphon said:
Well, I think it's obvious what you have to do.

Now get on out there and make somebody!
I don't like or want kids though.

Also, my incredibly social awkwardness and inability is a pretty limiting factor too.
 

CeeBod

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Sep 4, 2012
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MysticSlayer said:
You probably aren't the last. You're just the last that you know about. Unless your family has stayed perfectly connected ever since the name originated, then there's a good chance that someone else shares your name but you just don't know about them because of the separation that was created among different branches of the family tree over the years.
Whilst there may well be people I have a blood relationship with but don't actually know about, my last name is a Scottish clan name, and to quote wiki "It is a common misconception that every person who bears a clan's name is a lineal descendant of the chiefs. Many clansmen although not related to the chief took the chief's surname as their own to either show solidarity, or to obtain basic protection or for much needed sustenance." - So someone with the same last name as me is likely to be a descendant of a different clan moocher than me, rather than being in any way related. Same applies to the many last names that came from professions, or those that are basically a way of saying "from village x"

Personally I prefer the Icelandic naming convention - no generation to generation baggage to worry about, plus you suddenly get names like Kevin Kevinson ;)
 

CrystalShadow

don't upset the insane catgirl
Apr 11, 2009
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Ah. That. I know that feeling. Both my name, AND my bloodline end with me.
Well, my father's bloodline.

Sure, the possibility of distant relatives is quite high, but... Basically, we've run into this:
(I'm ignoring my mother's family, because that's completely different)

My father died. My grandfather died. I have two aunts, but neither has children, and both are now too old for that to ever change.

I'm the only grandchild.

And... If I were to marry, I'd not pass on the family name to my children...
But... I'm infertile, so there aren't going to be any children.

Quite literally, this is it. The end. Once I'm gone, this branch of my family is dead. No way around it.

That... Bothered me quite a bit for a while...
But... There's nothing I can do about it, so... Eh.

You learn to live with it. Even if some part in you nags you about it till the day you die... -_-
 

Eclipse Dragon

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I may not be the last of my line, but I'm only the fourth generation of a new line. My great grandfather got disowned by his family for having my grandfather out the wedlock. His response was to completely dump his last name and come up with a new one for himself and his family. I like to imagine there was also some kind of old time middle finger involved.
 

Imperioratorex Caprae

Henchgoat Emperor
May 15, 2010
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I'm the last of my father's bloodline (as far as I'm aware, unless there's a kid out there that I don't know about... its possible). Anyway, my family name though and blood is carried by my cousin's thankfully so I don't need to worry about carrying on the family. Though my stepdaughter may take my last name, maybe not. I leave that up to her.
She's not blood but she is more my daughter than not, which is pretty awesome. She's a lot like me which is interesting, and a little freaky because I see parts of my life being replayed by her, especially now that she's in high school.
 

JemothSkarii

Thanks!
Nov 9, 2010
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My family line... is probably okay. I'm a guy with two brothers and a mysterious half-brother (Don't know anything about him, so yeah). One of my brothers has three girls and doesn't plan to have anymore, my other brother just plain doesn't want kids - might change his mind given his recent GF but who knows. As for me? Kids are like Kryptonite to me. Related or not I feel drained and sleepy just being around them mixed with an uncontrollable urge to just lock myself away no matter how good they're acting. Were I to have a partner, I don't think I could stand being around them all the time, have to do the whole 'live in two houses' deal.

Not sure what's happening with my family line, but it's probably okay.
 

Aerosteam

Get out while you still can
Sep 22, 2011
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I'm actually the last of my line as well, though I have two sisters.

I'll take the title of "The Last Smith"... sounds awesome
 

Sleepy Sol

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Feb 15, 2011
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My family lineage is already continuing in some way. And I can barely take care of myself at this point. I can't conceivably see myself wanting children for a long time, if ever, and I'm pretty okay with that. And my cousins are all typically years older than me, so they've all continued the family tree in some way as well.

Basically, I don't think I'm under a whole lot of pressure. And I don't place a whole lot of value in life or its continuation right now. Not so much in a really dark spot, just...don't want to overinflate the importance of my existence. That whole shebang. Probably childish, sure, but I'm still pretty young.
 

COMaestro

Vae Victis!
May 24, 2010
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If one of said daughters has a child out of wedlock, the child will often have the mom's last name (usually depending on whether the father is still in the picture or if they intend to stay together). So you being the last of your line is not necessarily guaranteed at this point. Of course, I don't know you or your family tree, so for all I know these daughters are already married and have changed their names.
 

Armadox

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Aug 31, 2010
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Aerosteam said:
I'm actually the last of my line as well, though I have two sisters.

I'll take the title of "The Last Smith"... sounds awesome
The exact same. Two sisters and no brother. My birth name is John Smith. I am the artist known as John Smith. I.. haven't used it in a very long time, going by my artist's tag. My own daughter I named Gadget Smith. Which is steampunk as hell.
 

Frankster

Space Ace
Mar 13, 2009
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I'm in a similar position in sense if I were to die, my particular branch of family will die off completely as I have no brothers or sisters and my aunts and uncles didn't have kids to continue the family name on their side.

So I've always had a bit of pressure to continue it and find someone to marry, and it's only getting worst now that I'm approaching my 30s.

Anyways, in your case you should commission an exquisite painting of yourself and engrave on a gold plaque on it "Behold X, last of the Y line, may their glory never fade" or something to that effect.

You then hide it in your attic and completely forget about it. 200 years from now, a descendant or some completely unrelated person will find the painting and it will end up being a cultural icon, like the Mona Lisa is today, and visitors will flock from all over the world to see your painting, which will of course be stored in some prestigious museum.
 

Ariseishirou

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Aug 24, 2010
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One of my best friends in the same situation as you, and as a result kind of browbeat his wife into taking his name/giving it to their future kids even though she really would have preferred to keep her own. It was kind of douchey, but it was important to his family. Ironically (kharmically?) it turns out they're both infertile, and one of his sisters kept her name and gave it to her children, so he needn't have bothered after all.