Newlywed and considering changing your name? There are so many decisions that come along with “I do”. Things like whose insurance to merge under, where to live, whether to combine all of your finances, which family you celebrate which holiday with and of course whether to change your name or not. It’s completely understandable to be overwhelmed by the concept of name change after marriage, especially with all of the extra decisions that must be made as newlyweds.
Take some time to consider what your maiden name means to you. Does your maiden name roll off your tongue and remind you of your heritage and various degrees and accomplishments you’ve made? Does it make you feel proud and define your sense of “you”? If so, you should consider keeping your maiden name in some way if you decide to change your name after marriage. You have the option to hyphenate your maiden name with your spouse’s last name, take both last names sans hyphen, take your maiden name as a second middle name or replace your middle name with your maiden name (which is an added bonus for those with horrid middle names).
Conversely, if you think about your maiden name and remember being mercilessly teased as a child or being a the very end of the alphabet and called last for everything you may have extra incentive to change your name to your spouse’s last name and drop your maiden name completely. Some women see married name change as a tangible way to show that they’re “all in” in their marriage.
Regardless of the factors that influence the decision, name change after marriage is a very personal and permanent decision. Consider playing the Married Name Game to have its patent-pending algorithm generate your ideal married name change combination!