Changing your last name

[Ejoriah]

I'm one of those people with a very unique last name - people find me so easily on Facebook because I am the only one with this first name - last name combo!

However I am so sick and tired of people saying it wrong. I have gotten used to my professors saying it wrong, and it's spelled wrong 90% of the time. My boyfriend has a very generic name and I can't wait to take it one day, lol. I have considered hyphenating, because while my last name is annoying I am proud of my heritage.. but he says he wants us to have the same name so if I hyphenate, he wants to hyphenate too!

[rubydissolution]

I'm not traditional about a lot of things, but I'm traditional about this. I've kind of always looked forward to changing my last name. I was tormented relentlessly by kids in school for my last name. They used to break my name up and taunt me with Amber Pet (the) Tit. I want to rid myself of the negative memories that go along with my current last name. Though I'll admit, if I marry my current SO my name is going to sound kind of funny, but I'll deal with it.

[alittlemind]

I don't think I ever considered not changing my last name when I get married. I grew up with a hyphenated last name. Both names are long and hard to spell, and although I love having a unique last name, after a while I just get tired of spelling it, or people mispronouncing it. If I do end up marrying my boyfriend, I would love taking his last name. It's not too long, it's fun to say and it's spelled exactly as it's pronounced! I remember once getting so frustrated about having such a complicated last name while on the phone with my SO, that he joked "I can help change that" aha it was cute.

[Claire-Louise]

I have always wanted to change my name when I get married but now being 99% sure that I'm going to marry my SO (one day) I don't think I could handle his surname :/ I know that sounds really mean but I have watched his little sisters teased at school because their surname can be used in a sexual context and I want to join the Police force and don't think I could cope with having a "sexual" referencing surname in a position like that

If we're ever getting married, I'll take my SO's name and I'm actually excited about it. My SO's last name is not very common and sounds foreign and interesting. I hate my last name, it sounds ridiculous :/

[delightful]

I would definitely want to take my SO's last name. It's really, really long, and he is literally the only person on the face of the earth to have it - it's a hyphenation of his mum's and grandpa's. He's very traditional in some ways, and I know how much it would mean to him, and I'm also so tired of my own last name! I am the butt-end of so many jokes, and noone can pronounce it, hahah. I'm very excited to do so!

[dizzyupthemeg]

I'll never change my name again. I did it with the first marriage, and I hated it. If my SO was super stuck on me having his last name I may consider hyphenating it, but even then I have my doubts. I like my maiden name. It suits me.

I would take my GF's name just because it's short like my first name.

My GF is fixed on the idea of taking my last name. I'm impartial to it really.

[.:*Shaunna*:.]

I would change my last name but make my maiden name a second middle name

[AbundanceAbounds]

While I would be perfectly happy (and thrilled) to use my SO's last name socially, I would never change it on my SSN, etc. In my last marriage (don't judge) I added his last name to mine, no hyphen, just the two names. Then finally after about 5 years I had my work email, etc. changed. Then I dropped using my maiden name except on legal documents. I thought after all that time it was safe to do so. ;-p Little did I know. We've been divorced for four years now and I am STILL getting items every once in a while that are addressed to my former name. I'm closing in on 50 and I guess I am just more practical/pragmatic than I was when I was younger.

[Yaaamiii]

Early in our relationship I always wanted to take on his last name, but as our wedding is in a year, I've come to think "...but this has always been my name D:...and if I do decide to change it, I'll be sad to see my last name go, not so much because of carrying on the family name or whatever (I have a brother for that :P)... But because my last name has always been part of who I am :0. I'll probably end up changing it, and I think he really wants me to as well since it reinforces the whole we are a family thing.

[Hollandia]

You can call me Mrs. Dogshit if it means I get to be married to my love.

Serioulsy, I would love to take his name. We both have French sounding first names and his Dutch last name would match mine well. I do worry about my business contract, but I hope an alias will work for that. We do have a "tax name" you can use in USA, I just have to look up how to do that.

[snow]

^ How is him being the only male to bear that name relevant to your decision of changing your own? When people consider that matter, they're usually thinking that the man would want to perpetuate his family name by having children. If you kept your maiden name it wouldn't have any bearing to how your children are named unless you specifically wanted them to have yours. Just curious.

I wouldn't want to have a different last name than my husband, simply because it gets confusing :P

My sister's ex husband's family had 3 different last names in their family (her ex husband had a different last name than his 2 siblings), because his mom once decided to change her last name, then got divorced and changed it back, then got married again, but kept her last name, got divorced again and after marrying a third time changed her last name again.
Very, very confusing :P

[Filly]

I love my last name it is my identity before my marriage and I would much prefer to join our names by putting a dash between our name. He would prefer if I drop mine and keep his but it is an ongoing discussion.

[TwoThree]

^ How is him being the only male to bear that name relevant to your decision of changing your own? When people consider that matter, they're usually thinking that the man would want to perpetuate his family name by having children. If you kept your maiden name it wouldn't have any bearing to how your children are named unless you specifically wanted them to have yours. Just curious.