The test
In 2022 I was out at a restaurant in Los Angeles when a friend pulled up his 23andMe results at the table. I got curious and ordered a test that week.
Our family story was Italian, but I had never met anyone from my dad's side, nobody spoke Italian, and I never felt any connection to it. People would ask if I spoke Italian, and my no always struck them as odd. Honestly, it struck me as odd too.
The results came back. My mom's half surprised no one. She was born in Rio de Janeiro and I grew up around her family. My dad's half was news to me: I'm Iranian. I started digging and found out he has a large family, most of them in Los Angeles, and they carry the name Khan.
My mom, born in Rio de Janeiro. Her side I always knew.
My dad's side. The half I found at 29.
My actual results.
Changing my name was one of the hardest decisions I've made. Some family members pushed back, and I understood why. But the truth is I had no ties to Italian culture at all. Both of my parents were super Americanized, and nothing about the way we grew up was Italian. The name told a story that wasn't mine.
Last updated September 1, 2026