Women (or men too I guess) did you change your last name after marriage?

[Anonymous]

I kept my name. I like my last name - it’s unique and part of who I am.

[Anonymous]

I changed mine because I wanted to for reasons of my own. Do what you want and everyone else can mind their own damn business.

[Anonymous]

my wife has a friend “from wrong side of tracks” who married a local famous politician and took his last name day one and basically erased anything to do with her family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I kept my name because I liked it better than my husband's. It was as simple as that. If I had met a man whose last name I preferred to mine, I would have had no hesitation in making the change. What's most important to me is how the name sounds.

Hinklebottom?

[Anonymous]

It was a long time ago and I changed mine, but my original family name is now my middle name. It was a very bland name like Smith. My current last name is very distinctive and it took me awhile to get use to it.

[Anonymous]

No, neither of us changed our names

[Anonymous]

Yes! I did it to make things easier. It doesn’t!! Women do not do it unless you always wanted to change your name. Number one, the concept is completely stupid and outdated. Number two there is a ton of paperwork and it’s extremely obnoxious. Number three, my name specifically is a part of who I am and I loved it and even changing my last name doesn’t change my identity from who I was on the day he met me, which is the day we fell in love. it turns out that having a last name doesn’t make a family and if I changed my name, it would not make me more or less of my children’s mother and my husband‘s life partner.

[Anonymous]

A DH here and DW did not take my name. Been married since 1990. Did not bother me. Back in the day --- 90s --- it was the trend for professional women to keep their name. That has gone back and forth over the years. It did cause issues early on including with things like frequent flyer miles which you could not give to someone with a different last name without going to the airport or a city airline office. Those issues cleared out in the 2000s. Some confused teachers who thought she was second wife/stepmom (which she actually loved). But no real issues. She was going to change a number of times over the years but once you start it is a pian to switch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes! I did it to make things easier. It doesn’t!! Women do not do it unless you always wanted to change your name. Number one, the concept is completely stupid and outdated. Number two there is a ton of paperwork and it’s extremely obnoxious. Number three, my name specifically is a part of who I am and I loved it and even changing my last name doesn’t change my identity from who I was on the day he met me, which is the day we fell in love. it turns out that having a last name doesn’t make a family and if I changed my name, it would not make me more or less of my children’s mother and my husband‘s life partner.

Same, I regret changing my name so much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes! I did it to make things easier. It doesn’t!! Women do not do it unless you always wanted to change your name. Number one, the concept is completely stupid and outdated. Number two there is a ton of paperwork and it’s extremely obnoxious. Number three, my name specifically is a part of who I am and I loved it and even changing my last name doesn’t change my identity from who I was on the day he met me, which is the day we fell in love. it turns out that having a last name doesn’t make a family and if I changed my name, it would not make me more or less of my children’s mother and my husband‘s life partner.

I mean, do what you want. But don't lie. It absolutely makes things easier. And the paperwork is really simple and easy.

[Anonymous]

It's hard to go back though if you divorce. I wish I had just kept my name. No one would question me and I could have just listed the family name on cards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes! I did it to make things easier. It doesn’t!! Women do not do it unless you always wanted to change your name. Number one, the concept is completely stupid and outdated. Number two there is a ton of paperwork and it’s extremely obnoxious. Number three, my name specifically is a part of who I am and I loved it and even changing my last name doesn’t change my identity from who I was on the day he met me, which is the day we fell in love. it turns out that having a last name doesn’t make a family and if I changed my name, it would not make me more or less of my children’s mother and my husband‘s life partner.

I mean, do what you want. But don't lie. It absolutely makes things easier. And the paperwork is really simple and easy.

NP. In what way does changing your name "make things easier?" As someone who didn't change her name, I can honestly say it's never been an issue. Not with my DH, our kids, our families and friends, or professionally. I'm not sure how changing my name could have things easier when there is literally no difficulty in keeping it.

[Anonymous]

When I was in college in the 80s I changed my last name to my mother' maiden name. I hated my original name.

So no, I do not use my DH's name and he does not use mine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I didn’t and somehow when my old friends send me something, noting it is from ‘THE HINKLEBOTTOMS’ rather than from how I think of them ‘Jane Maiden Name’ it strikes me as a little creepy stepford. My issue, I’m sure, but it does strike me

Yes. Spouses and children having the same last name is part of being a family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Larla Maiden New-Name

Changed maiden name to middle name (dropped original middle name - hated it, but a sibling kept hers and now has 4 names) and took newj last name

+1 to changing middle name to maiden name. I'm from a small family so wanted to keep the name alive!