Changing your last name

[Esther]

He says he wants to hyphenate... but I do want to take his last name. It's Finnish and exotic He complains about it being misspelled all the time, but to be fair name is an unusually long Spanish name, and in Spain we have two last names (as women do keep their names) so it's even worse, and I can't wait to have a short single-word surname, I'm already used to the misspelling!

[rivi87]

It was a tough descision. I have always LOVED my last name. It was so unique and different and sounded so pretty. It definitely showed the Italian heratige I proudly claim and for 23 years I had certainly put that name on the map with my achievements.

His is a Masculine German name. I know how he felt about it so when we were filling out our marriage application, I decided to take his last name. It made him so happy and so it was worth it. I am still adjusting but it gives the feel of the united front (even though he's gone).

[maja_marky]

i will def change my last name when i get married...im excited to bear my SO's last name...and i'm so proud to bear his last name....

[MissButterfly]

We've discussed this, haha! I'm very proud of my last name, and I kind of want to keep it. But I also want his last name, because I really like it and he's very proud of it too. If I don't, it'll sound like I'm not the mother of our kids or something, in the future. I don't want that! So for now, I think that I'll just go with my last name - his last name.

[eeriesaurus]

I can't wait for the day when I'll have his last name. Just the idea of it happening makes me feel proud inside. I would never hyphenate. Both of our last names are ten letters long :P

[Josephine Falnor]

I know one of us is going to take the other's name. My last name is very common, but my girlfriend's last name gets mispronounced a lot. I'd really like to take her name, and she wants to take mine. We'll get it figured out though. We mainly just want to share a last name.

[redbellepepper]

I took my husband's given name. Yeah, GIVEN name!

There are several ways of naming a married girl in India. One of the ways is like this: given name + husband’s given name + caste. There is no provision for a maiden name. But of course this is entirely for Indian nationals. My personal records would still bear my maiden name together with my husband's first name and the caste which he belongs to. So my complete married name is given name+maiden name+husband's given name+caste. It's very long. So for informal gatherings, casual meetings and web presence, I am using my nickname+caste. Short and simple!

[folclor]

I would definitely change my last name to his and I've already told him that. I told him I want to share his last name and he's cool with it.

I have several different reasons. One is just that...I've always wanted to. I know that a lot of girls think it's sort of sacrificing independence or something but... I just think it's fine. I have an aunt who didn't change her name after marriage so I've seen that side of things, too, but they didn't have any kids. I want my kids to have the same last name as myself and my future husband. So changing my name to his is an easy choice for me because I've never actually been way too attached to my last name. I like it, but it'll still be part of my name, just become a middle name instead. That's how my mom did it, and I think that's how most women do. Besides, I like his last name and I have two older brothers so they can provide heirs to the family name. I'm good with changing mine.

[Lumos]

I'm trying to convince him to take my name :P

I would not mind taking his name; we both have unique last names. But if he took my name, he'd have two Xs in his name! I only have sisters, so I'm afraid my name will die out after this generation.

[Josephine Falnor]

I know that either I or my SO will take the other's last name. Right now, I think she's going to take my name, mainly because she doesn't like her name for various reasons. It doesn't matter much to me either way; I just want us to share a name.

[squirrelz15]

Whether I end up with this guy or someone else, I will likely take his last name. It's just tradition, and something I always thought I would do anyway. I don't have any particular attachment to my current last name. lol

[Jgui]

i would like to keep my last name even after marriage but my SO had mention that he would want his future wife to take on his last name. So if we do get to that stage in the future i will hyphenate, unless he strongly argues that i HAVE to change then i will do it..

[ChibiFelicia]

Its not something i thought of not doing to be honest. Then again i didnt think i would marry. But i'd love to take on his last name cause it's "Yu" and my name begins with F. nyhahaha it'd ammuse me when i have to write my initials all day at work xD

[CynicalQuixotic]

I'm of two minds about this. On the one hand, there's no denying that the practice has extremely sexist origins: it indicated a woman's passage from the property of her father to the property of her husband. Also, in our much more socially evolved society, I see little point for it: my mother kept her maiden name and she never had any problems being recognized as the mother of my brother or I. There are other, and in my opinion more significant, ways to show familial cohesiveness than everyone having the same last name.

However, on the other hand...

I can see how it can make things easier from a legal perspective, and I can respect people's feelings about its symbolic nature, because I have some of my own. I really dislike my last name. It's ugly, clunky, and quite ostensibly German Jewish--I was raised in an ultra-liberal, hippie-dippy Unitarian Universalist church by a Protestant-raised mother and a Jewish-raised father, and I'm adopted, so I feel a bit awkward having such a culturally distinct last name that is in fact not a culture that I truly belong to. I also don't get along very well with my family, so, my last name feels like a burden more often than not. My SO has the perfect last name: four letters, two syllables, completely idiot-proof to spell and pronounce, and I also think it sounds really nice with my first name. If we were to get married, taking his last name would be deeply symbolic for me on an emotional level, as it would be the beginning of creating a new family that is distinctly through my own choice.

However, I've never been a fan of condemning people for doing much of anything unless it directly harms someone else, so, I definitely don't look down on people who choose to change their names after marriage. I am, however, suspicious of men who pressure their wives to change their names. I wish it was more commonplace for men to take their wives' names, but again, it depends on every couple's situation.

So, long story short, I want to take my SO's name, but I'll probably feel like a bit of a hypocrite doing it.

[Petals]

I'm a newly wed and will be taking my husband's last name once all my documents are updated. I'm excited about this actually.