Former NFL star Ricky Williams, now Ricky Miron, has legally changed his last name — to his wife’s last name.
via People:
During an interview on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, Ricky — who played 11 seasons in the NFL — said he changed his name to Errick Miron to adopt his wife Linnea Miron’s last name. (Though he goes by “Ricky,” Errick is his first name.)
“I did it probably a year and a half ago, made it official,” Ricky said on the podcast. “Something I’ve been thinking about and talking about, and I finally went through the steps.”
“I went to the social security office with my marriage certificate, and I went through the process,” he added. “It was quick and easy, and it felt meaningful. Really meaningful.”
Ricky said he went about the process to create more balance in his marriage, something he considered after taking an astrology-relationship class. While his wife is a successful attorney, he often gets more attention due to his NFL career, he said.
“One of the ideas that popped into my mind was I can take her last name,” Ricky explained on the show. “I think it’s cool. It’s somewhere where we can both win.”
“I’ve found that that’s been really powerful in creating ease, intimacy and trust in my relationship,” he added during the interview.
The former running back also said he was open to the idea of changing his name because Williams is not “even really” his true last name.
“It’s one of those family secrets,” he said. “My grandma, obviously, back then you don’t say anything. And so Williams was her husband’s name, but wasn’t my dad’s father.”
“So Williams is not even really my last name,” he continued. “And if you go back far enough, its idea of it is a slave name, so I think of what is even the purpose of a last name. And I find more meaning in this last name than Williams.”
“To me, this makes the story of Ricky Williams more interesting,” Ricky said of the name change.
Ricky spent most of his career playing for the Miami Dolphins but also played with the New Orleans Saints. He last played for the Baltimore Ravens in 2011.
That’s sweet.
