Changing your last name

[blferguson1s]

I'm so excited to take my SO's last name. We already think of each other as family, and I want everyone to know that I'm his. It's a tradition that I'm proud to uphold.

[kteire]

I always said that when I got married, I'd marry someone with a simpler last name than mine... Well, my SO's is longer and definitely not simpler!!
I'm a bit undecided about whether or not I will. I love my SO's last name, it's French and sounds gorgeous, but I am attached to mine. My last name will die out in my family with my generation, as in my dad's generation, all of the male relations only had daughters, and all of the females had taken their spouse's last name. There are currently 6 of us (all female) who intend to have kids and don't intend to use our own last name.
Plus, my family name has an interesting history. I had relatives killed at Dachau, and certain family members worked as spies in WWII, and I keep finding out more about them! So who knows haha. I dunno how my SO would feel about me keeping my own name, and hyphenating is out of the question!

[sweetshine]

I will definitely take my fiances last name.

[DemonxOisin]

I think I will stick to Mexican tradition on this one... Seeing as I have always been told I would end up marrying a Mexican :P
On official documents and such, you keep your last name. So it´s not complicated, no one has to get used to calling you by a different name. But, sometimes women sign with their husbands name, like this: First name - de - Husbands last name. His mom does that, and I think it´s quite nice Although it would be quite funny to be the whitest of white girls with a Mexican last name xD
Children-wise, they take both names. No hyphen, just... 2 last names. And the children can use either both or one, it´s up to them.
It´s a good system :P

---------- Post added at 03:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:10 PM ----------

I think I will stick to Mexican tradition on this one... Seeing as I have always been told I would end up marrying a Mexican :P
On official documents and such, you keep your last name. So it´s not complicated, no one has to get used to calling you by a different name. But, sometimes women sign with their husbands name, like this: First name - de - Husbands last name. His mom does that, and I think it´s quite nice Although it would be quite funny to be the whitest of white girls with a Mexican last name xD
Children-wise, they take both names. No hyphen, just... 2 last names. And the children can use either both or one, it´s up to them.
It´s a good system :P

[Micah]

I want to take his last name. I guess I am just not that attached to my last name and I am pretty traditional when it comes to marriage.

[Haley53]

I plan on hyphenating, simply for the practical purpose that I will likely have already established contacts and ideally a career by the time that we're married.

[Enric]

I guess this is just typical among the anglo cultures. Our naming costumes are quite different and I really prefer our traditional system (less sexist in my opinion).

I want to repair my last names (we have 2 in all documents) for being typed in the right orthography. But never change them. I neither want that my SO changes her last name, it's beautiful and it's a way of remember her identity. But she has a single last name and I wonder what will be her second last name if she comes to my country. Maybe something of her mother? A new one?

[Sav88]

Hell yes! I would change my last name as it's so boring and common and my SO's is so different and I like the sound of it. It doesn't flow when you say my name and his last together but after a while I'd get used to saying it and so will everyone else. I just want his last name so bad! :P

[army.boys.girl_x]

mine and his surnames aren't that much different, but i can't wait to take his, it would mean more to take his when we get married, make us a family. He, his mum, brother and sister all have different last names, it just doesn't seem right to me. (and tbh i can't wait to get rid of mine, no more wrong spellings or mispronunciations to correct!) x

[JessicaT]

I would change it because right now my last name is Tester and you can make up so many things from that name. It helps a little, but not much when my SO's last name is Schaut ("shout") xD I don't think i'll ever win the last name battle in my life.

[floridaellen]

My last name is really cool and has a deep religious meaning. I love it. That being said, I would probably take my husband's name. It's traditional and my family would think I was weird if I didn't. Plus, I like the concept of being his.

[roosie]

I think I would either add his to mine or just take his. My last name is not very beautiful and actually partly consists of a Finnish male name but I wouldn't like to give it up completely because somehow I feel like by losing it I would lose part of my Finnish identity. I do like my SO's last name very much as it's an old Irish name.

[Bethypoo]

I have always said I would hyphenate it at most. I really don't think that I am property and don't want to feel like i am changing hands as it were. I would feel like i was going from my fathers property to my husbands and that doesn't seem like something I would do. However, with that being said, if I was to have kids I would really consider changing my last name because it is easier for the kids and there are less questions. Just personal beliefs.

[aamacna]

My last name situation is fairly unique. My mom kept her last name when she married my dad and they agreed to give me her last name instead of his. I'm definitely planning on keeping my last name, even if it gets misspelled and mispronounced all the time. It's very uniquely Irish and goes well with my first name. In the case of both my father's last name and my SO's (both very English), my name sounds like I should be at least 80 years old or writing advice columns.

[elina]

I'll be taking his last name. I don't like hyphenated names that much, and it would just sound stupid, my last name and his Our family name isn't gonna die or anything because of me, so I'm not worried about that bit

My name sounds good with his last name, I think, and I'd love the "unity" it gives, as someone said earlier in this thread. It'd feel weird not having his last name. And it'll sound "exotic" too, a Finn having an English last name I'm pretty excited about that, whenever the time comes