Need advice as a Social work student with an extremely rare surname.
I’m training to be a social worker and I’ve been really anxious about something that I can’t find much about online, so wondered if anyone here has experience or advice.
I have an extremely rare and unique surname, less than 100 people in the world share it, and I am the only person with my full name. This means that if anyone searches my name, they will find me instantly. I have never used my surname on any of my own social media accounts and I have taken myself off the public electoral register.
Despite this I can still be easily found online, through newspaper mentions (when I was a child) and my own families online and public activity.
I’m worried about what happens when I’m a qualified social worker, particularly around the possibility that clients might try to find me, or blast my name on social media.
I don’t want to change my name. It’s deeply important to me for personal and family reasons. But I’m trying to figure out what practical steps I can take to protect myself without having to give up something that means a lot to me.
Has anyone else in social work navigated having a very distinctive or rare name? Were you given any guidance by your employer? Did you find ways to manage it?
Any advice or shared experience would be really appreciated.