Comments on: Reasons to Change Your Name After Marriage

By: Andrea

Andrea — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 23:44:36 +0000

As a woman who has kept her last name, I find your list of “reasons” to be ignorant and rather offensive. I think that it boils down to an issue of respect. I respect the fact that you want to change your last name and you respect the fact that I have had my name for 30 years and changing it will not make me any LESS married to my husband. I lucked out – my husband told me that he would not want to change his last name, so why should he expect me to do the same? Respect…bottom line. I do not answer to Mrs. Chambers because that is not who I am.

By: AllieLONG

AllieLONG — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:35:47 +0000

I took my first personal loans when I was not very old and that aided my business very much. Nevertheless, I need the commercial loan also.

By: Marly

Marly — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:24:58 +0000

I think couples have a lot more options today. In fact, more men are choosing their wife’s last name. Some choose to hyphenate. The thing is, a person shouldn’t be bound by tradition or others’ expectations when making this important decision. Here’s my post on the topic:
http://www.namelymarly.com/blog/2009/12/names-and-marriage/.

By: Triple_L

Triple_L — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 14:37:54 +0000

I initially kept my legal maiden name but socially went by my married name (because as the original poster mentioned, people call you by default your Mrs.married-name anyways and it takes extra effort to correct them all the time). I can vouch for the difficulties of keeping my legal maiden name. Some places wouldn’t allow me to open accounts / records with anything that wasn’t on my ID cards, hence I used my legal name. Other places would us my social, married name – especially if I was with my husband, it made it easier. The first time I created the accounts / records was easy… remembering which name I used for each account every time after that was the challenge. I even had certain accounts suspended because the name I gave didn’t match with what I opened it with. I’m not saying this as a pro or con, but rather, if you’re going to keep your maiden name, do it in all settings, whether social or legal, otherwise things could get messy.

By: be_free

be_free — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:46:18 +0000

@Liz
And many men do… they even reference that option in their instructions (chip on your feminist shoulder *just kidding*

By: Sarah

Sarah — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:07:30 +0000

Well, if all these facts are true on why you should change your name to your husband’s…then it should be the same on why he should change HIS to YOURS!

By: Liz

Liz — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 05:49:19 +0000

I really can’t figure out what makes booking dinner or a flight more difficult with two separate names. Fine if a woman wants to change her name go ahead but to use arguments about these type of perceived difficulties to back up her choice doesn’t really add up for me. How hard is it for the person booking the dinner to give their name and what makes it more difficult suddenly to have 2 separate names when unmarried couples seem able to travel worldwide with no problems.

By: Howesitgoin

Howesitgoin — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:48:07 +0000

Socially acceptable should never really be the reason you do anything. Traditions are better reason if you don;t know of any other reason. Traditions usually have a historical meaning. As in “the two shall become one” and in history family ownership was passed down through the sons not the daughters, so it was the sons who carried the namesake and tracing lineage following the family name.
Though some women truly love their husbands-to-be and find it to be an honor to take on their name. And having children it becomes our family name and we are all proud of it.
Here is a question for you though, now I am a widow with 3 young children and I am looking at remarrying. I want to keep the name of my children and I also feel I should take on my new husband-to-be;s name. Any ideas?

By: Kay

Kay — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 03:45:22 +0000

I don’t have a problem with a woman changing her name when marrying (I will be starting the process myself as soon as my copy of the marriage license arrives) but I do resent the implication that changing a name is the *only* socially acceptable thing to do.
Also — anyone who would change their name solely for a monogram is shallow and materialistic. There are a myriad of emotions, feelings and historical implications to consider in making the decision to change one’s name (or not)… being able to own ‘a pretty monogrammed champagne glass’ is a ridiculous and immature reason to do so. (Besides, one can always monogram things with two initials.)

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 20:24:01 +0000

Double post more please, it does wonders for your argument.

By: You should be ashamed

You should be ashamed — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 08:23:51 +0000

Things that used to be socially acceptable:
1) Beating your wife
2) Drunk driving
3) Slavery
4) Laws against interracial marriage
What a great reason to do something!

By: You should be ashamed

You should be ashamed — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 08:23:45 +0000

Things that used to be socially acceptable:
1) Beating your wife
2) Drunk driving
3) Slavery
4) Laws against interracial marriage
What a great reason to do something!

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 09:57:37 +0000

Thanks, this information really helped my wife and I get started on the difficult task of changing her name

By: Jack Ass

Jack Ass — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 14:56:44 +0000

this is very nice. i am changing my name tomorrow.

By: Recently Married

Recently Married — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 12:27:58 +0000

Thanks that was great information!