What's in a name....

[Anonymous]

Taking an informal poll. Did you take your husband's name when you married? Why or why not? Any hyphenators?

[Anonymous]

Yes...I liked his last name better and have no sentimental attachment to my maiden name.

[Anonymous]

I took his name because I thought it would be easier if we had kids, for all the names to be the same.

My mother hyphenated her name and it was a nightmare when she was hospitalized. There are a set # of spaces for characters in a name. When you hyphenate, it's a crap shoot as to what name or how many letters will be on a legal/medical document.

Standard email addresses for work are usually 8 letters. So the second name will most likely be chopped off. Or it will look odd. Just seems more convenient to pick ONE name.

[Anonymous]

No, never crossed my mind. I'm attached to my name and come from a culture where it's more common for a woman to keep her name.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes...I liked his last name better and have no sentimental attachment to my maiden name.

+1

[Anonymous]

I took my wife's name. We are both women. I liked her name, and she felt attached to her name -- I didn't feel very attached to mine.

We have a child and it was really important to me that the whole family share a surname. It has definitely made things easier.

[Anonymous]

No. I use my name professionally and was already established in my career before DH.

[Anonymous]

No. I saw no reason to change my name.

[Anonymous]

I changed my name when DC#1 was 18 months old and we were about to travel overseas. We are a biracial family and I didn't want to make traveling internationally as a family more difficult by having a different last name. I still use my maiden name professionally as I was already somewhat established.

[Anonymous]

Guy here--

I won't marry anyone who won't take my last time? Don't like it? Don't marry me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Guy here--

I won't marry anyone who won't take my last time? Don't like it? Don't marry me.

Check.

Woman here. Did not take DH's name. DD has his name as her last, mine as her middle, no hyphenation.

[Anonymous]

I kept my name. I married at 37 with an established personal and professional identity. I come from a close-knit family with three siblings, and wanted to remain a "Smith." Most of all I thought it would be a pain in the ass to change my name, and I'm lazy. I did tack his name on to my own on Facebook, though - mostly as an act of good faith, since I knew he was a little bit hurt that I didn't take his name legally. (He's older, and old-fashioned.)

Logistically, it hasn't been an issue so far, but we haven't had a child yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Guy here--

I won't marry anyone who won't take my last time? Don't like it? Don't marry me.

You sound like a control freak.

[Anonymous]

Nope, didn't take his. I had a child already with my last name. Not sure I would have taken his anyway, but it helped to have a solid reason.

[Anonymous]

No. I was working abroad when we married and didn't want the hassle of changing my visa and passport. I always intended to do it but never have. Later I realized, if change my name to his, then I would have the name of a rather ridiculous politician so I kind of like keeping my own last name.