To change or not to change?

[Elissa]

My SO is taking my last name. Her family is not very accepting, so I think it would be wrong to take a last name that is not wanted for me. It's complicated..

[sabby64]

Haha, my Grandma's last name is MacDougall, we're from Scotland too.

My last name is Gaukel, my dads adoptive parents last name, and I don't really like it. But Brandon, his is Hobbs, which is like the coolest thing ever. If we ever got married I'd change it.

I never even knew you could keep your last name until recently... I don't know if I like that. It just seems really weird, you know, you wouldn't be Mr and Mrs ____, you'd be Mr ____ and Mrs ____ and it just doesn't sound very nice, like you're getting divorced or something. Thats what my parents are like right now, and they're in the middle of separating. :P I don't see why you can't at least have keep both of them.

[Rosebud]

For your situation, since you both are totally cool with not doing the traditional thing, I don't see no reason why you shouldn't keep your last name and have him take it as well. You both seem happy with that choice which is pretty darn awesome

As for me, I very much want to take my husbands name. I don't have much worries about my family name dieing out since even though I have two sisters, somewhere out there I also have a half brother and he already has a son, not to mention all my dad's siblings who also have sons. So we're good in that department, haha. For me, I'm just sort of silly and find it very romantic to take my partner's name after we're wed.

[London-FortCollins]

Its always down to what you and your SO would prefer.

Personally I have always known I will take my husbands name (or if I actually had a connection to mine I'd make him take mine!) I think the important thing is that you are united by a name and it does become yours - you as a couple and your new family.

Heck why not go for broke and both change it to something completly different! :P

I dont have an affinity with my surname, its my dads and I have no relationship with him at all. I was going to change it to my mums maiden name when I turned 18 (Bentley - that's pretty cool!) but never got round to it and now its kinda pointless.

My SO's surname is Johnson which I really like. AND as we're planning on moving to Scotland and its descended from the Scottish surname "Johnston" hopefully we'll fit right in

[SunshinetoApple04]

I'm back and forth with this question.

I feel like because I don't know anyone on my dad's side that me & my sister are the only ones with our family name. My sister is already married and she took her husband's name. I have talked to my SO about it and he is NOT for me keeping my name. Which kinda makes me upset, but whatever, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. lol

I am hispanic too and I totally agree with the two last names. I want my children to be proud of their heritage just like I am. I already plan to give them Spanish middle names if my SO truly fights against keeping my last name.

[TknandLvnIt]

I think that hyphenated names are interesting because it means that it is a blending of two different families which is what marriage is a union of the two. My inner feminist doesn't want to conform and give up my own identity because of a guy...especially since my Dad had a stroke and isn't in the best of health. But I think there is something utterly ridiculous about having two colors as a last name lol....maybe that's just me

[paulawriteslove]

I would love to change my last name For me it means a lot to change your name because. So I would love to take his last name

[Rugger]

I don't care either way. I have a brother so my family name won't die if I change my name. His name sounds better with the kids name I have picked out anyway

[agentholli]

I would change my name in a heart beat! When I married the first time, I took his last name...i have two children. So when I divorced I kept my last name the same..i didn't take my madien name back, because I thought it was best for the kids..ya know, the same last name.

However, I REALLY WISH i would of gone back to my madien name. So when I marry again, i will be SOOO glad to get rid of the married last name. Me and Mark have discussed him taking my madien name...he loves it. It is french..and his last name is just soooo generic, there are so many of them, and he wants to change his name anyway. I woudl love to both be my madien names, but whatever he choses i go along. I am going to be Mr. and Mrs. ______ whatever that blank may be.

[Darth_Taco]

Enrique and I are very traditional in that the woman always takes her man's last name. Unfortunately we're two guys here so no idea how that's working @_@. We actually talked about this on Friday xD. We'd most likely hyphenate (assuming we can marry as men). Now that only leaves two issues, one being that I have two last names. I have my father's first, my mother's second. When I change my name and gender legally, I'm gonna end up getting rid of my father's last name anyway :P. My brother doesn't have his name, why should I? After that is resolved, we still have the issue of who's last name comes first xD. We'll just flip a coin there.

Now for the kids @_@. No one's last name is gonna die out or anything. Like 30% of Mexico has Enrique's last name xD. I have like one million relatives who have my same last name since we won't stop breeding :P. We'll probably either give the kids both last names, or fuck with them by giving them some random morphed last name hybrid >:'D

[BoogleBee]

I never thought about the fact that my surname would die..but it would. Well if my sisters both get married which they probably will at some point. And we have no brothers to carry the name and my dad's sister has no children although her children would have had her married surname anyway. Hmm...
But then again my SO said she likes the idea of taking my name
I do like the idea of keeping my surname alive so I can say yes my father is from england and is full-blooded irish :P go Brennan

[LostInLove]

Hmmm, I flip flop on this subject. Part of me really likes this idea of taking my future husband's last name, as a symbolism to becoming a part of his family. I would never hyphenate, my name is long enough as is. That said, I am most likely going into a medical field, and if I've already established myself in the field it might be better to keep my last name. My mom kept her maiden name, and while it's had a few inconveniences it's worked out fine for her overall. So I think I'll end up just making a decision when the times comes.

[Zephii]

I think it's fine to have him take your last name. My sister is having her SO take her last name because we're the last of our line, and we don't want our name dying out.
If your SO doesn't care, there's no worry

Who says everything has to be patriarchal anyway?!

[London-FortCollins]

Who says everything has to be patriarchal anyway?!

Amen to that!

[Casey]

I think I would probably take his last name... even though I hate his mother and we would both be "Mrs ....." argh that makes me sick even thinking of that!!!
My mum doesnt like being referred to as "Mrs ......." because my dad's mum used to work at the school they both went to and she associates it with the name....