Would you agree to change your surname after marriage?

I am married and my last name is still that of my maiden name, but that's because I'm from Michigan and he's from Indiana. Since we're in the home buying process, we have no real home so I've figured not to get an Indiana license if I have no real address. Now that we're getting a home, I'll be getting an Indiana license. I will then carry his last name. I'd prefer having his last name.

I think it is ok to change the surname,because you see that it is a way to share everbody you love him,and you are agree to make this change for him.A lot of woman thinks at this like a posesion(o i have his name,like i be his trophe)It isnt that way you love him and this think dont matter enymore.

i think i have been brought up seeing girls surname being changed after marraige but i personally donot approve of this practice.after marraige i dropped my fathers name nor did i take my husbands fathers name,i just added my name along with my husbands name...

Hi Deepak, Well I changed my surname after marriage. It was not even a conscious thought, it just came so naturally to me. There were problems of course like bank account and PAN card and voter card, but gradually over the years we changed that too. I don’t really understand this identity thing you know. The name to me is more important than the surname. You know me by my name as do all my friends and acquaintances. Does it matter what my surname was pre-marriage? Secondly, many women find it irritating to change their voter cards and ration cards and such and also feel that all their educational certificates and such are in their maiden name, so they should keep the maiden surname. If that is the case, then they should not move in at all with their husbands! Once you change your residence, gradually you will have to change your address and other identity cards, surname or no surname. Thirdly, many women have this childish argument that why should they change their surname, it’s a part of their identity? Does the actual identity of any woman (Indian women at least) stay the same after marriage? It is only for self-employed professionals like doctors and lawyers and such that the argument of retaining the maiden surname holds true. Their customers and clients know them by their entire name and once the surname changes, there may definitely be confusion. In that case, as you have written, they write both the maiden surname and the married surname.

I would like to keep both. My father's name is important to me and so is my husband's and for that reason I would keep both. I think we should be free to take or discard surnames. Family name is important but not as important as the fact of being together. And I wouldnot like to marry the guy who makes fuss about this issue. My love, my respect my involvement should have been all that he should look at. Thanks deepak.

Hello deepak! I would PROBABLY change my surname and use my husband's name. It's one way of saying that we are one and that how much I am proud to be his wife. I even use his surname now and he is very happy to know it.

Hello My Friend! First of all I want to apologize for missing this topic eleven months ago and congrats on such a successful topic also!!! When I married my husband almost seven years ago I had a hard decision to make but ended up deciding to take my Husbands name as is Tradition in my family to do so. The reason I had a hard time deciding was because I am an only child and therefore wanted to carry on my Father's Family name.... I had thought of hyphenating both names but then would have a different name than my husband and when it came to having children...I just did not want two different names! My Husband even contemplated changing his last name to mine as he has two brothers but then he lost his Dad when he was seventeen and has his Dad's name for a middle name and so did not want to diminish the memory of his Father either and so I took on his name after all was said and done with no regrets though it is sad that my old name I CAN DO NOW...I DID WHAT I THOUGHT WAS BEST and easiest at the time!!! ~Heavens~

Hi deepak! I am married and I have adopted my husband's surname. My original surname became my middle name therefore, it is like the way you illustrated with Mary XY. It has been a practice here in my country and that is alright by me. However, it is also allowed here in our country that a woman can maintain her maiden name and not adopting her husband's name but with proper court proceedings. However, I really don't know the process on that since it has been widely acceptable here in our country just to adopt the husband surname. And I really have no problem with that. Just my thoughts. Take care and have a nice day!

Hi, I am not married yet, but when or if I do, lol, I would like to change my surname as it makes me feel like we are a family then. I do like my surname though and I will miss it dearly, he he. But if I was to marry I would like my kids and I and my husband to all have the same surname.

yes why not. well i really do not see any harm in that. guess it is has just been going on forever and my kids would follow their fathers last name. so i really dont see the reaosn why not.

yes friend i personally feel that after marriage a girl should change her surname.It is ok when she is single but when she gets married she gets attached with some other family and i think that to get attached to the other family she should change her surname as well.Another thing is also that now when two single people become one person then they are calles as MR and MRS and it would sound very odd having two different surnames.I feel it this way friends.... have a nice day........

Hello...Here in korea, you can't carry your husband's surname, only your children. I like to change my surname but I need to pay for it and also I need to take exam (korean). I like to change my name because it's too long compared to korean names. I'll give you an example. My name is Arlene M.Raymundo. If you write that in korean , it's like this ?? ? ????.Korean names are more simple ..for example my husband's name ? ? ? (Kang byeong ho - translation)

In Malaysia, the women don't change their names upon marriage because it's a hassle - it's not automatic like in some countries where when you sign the marriage papers, they update everything else. Plus we don't see the point of adopting our partner's names formally. Socially, we are known as "Mrs So and So" but that's it. So when I married my hubby who is French (and in France, ALL the women adopt their hubby's family name legally), I ran into some issues trying to hang on to my surname - didn't see the point in it. It didn't help that my parents kept harping on the fact that I should keep hanging on to my family name for the sake of it AND pass it down to my kids. Legally, I am still carrying my maiden name but for finance and other matters, I decided to add my hubby's family name to mine - so I'm actually "Mabel (my family name) (hubby's family name)". The paperwork for this is kinda crazy. You see, in Switzerland where we are staying, I'm fine just the way I am - maiden name and married. But in France, people just give me that weird look when I say that I'm married but am not carrying my husband's name. So the banks and etc have to go through this whole application process where I have two names on record (my maiden name and my married name) - just in case I show up and want to get some moolah out. Personally I don't know what's the big deal... :S

No. I did not change my name legally. In certain circumstances, I do use my husband's name just because it's easier, but professionally and legally I still use my maiden name.

In the US women USED to always take their husbands last name. Now with the feminism movement, they feel they somehow lose their identity. I think this is stupid. I believe that when you marry, you don't lose your identity, you add to it! I would certainly take my husbands name.

I did take my husband's surname when I got married. However, if I had it to do over again, I wouldn't. My husband and I divorced, but I waited until my daughter was 18 to change my name back to my own surname. I did that because I didn't want the confusion for her at school. Now I have my own surname back; what a lot of trouble it was. Oh, changing it was easy, but changing all my records everywhere was a nightmare! I had to change it with Social Security, work, my driver's license, my mortgage, my auto insurance and registration, my life insurance, and more! So if I ever marry again, I will keep my own name!

Every country has their own tradition.In my country,women need not to change their surname after marriage.If i am one of the woman in your country,i will also insist on my own surname after marriage.After marriage,we make a new family with our hunsband,but it can't change our blood,we must be responsibility to our parents.I think the love that parents for their children is self-giving,withour answering return.As a girl,we can pass the surname to our children,so the only surname with us must insist on,i think.I have though that if i have more than one child,i will ask my hunsband whether he mind one child has the surname with me.In my family,my parent only have my younger sister and me,so our surname will not pass to my child for ever.

I took my husband's last name when we got married. I am one of those women that are traditional in that way. I feel like that is just the way it is supposed to be.

Yes i would. I know its a hassle to change your name on all the social insurance, drivers license, mail, passport and all that and can get expensive but I'd do it. If he however wanted to change his name to mine i wouldnt mind at all. I wouldnt hyphenate the names though it would be too long.

i think that everybody has to be free to chose if they want to change their surname, both wife and husband, if a husband want to take the wife's surname why not?the same is for wife, if she want to change the surname ok but if she doesn't want to nobody should force her