Did you change your last name when you got married?

[MiniGirl]

I took my dh's name. I don't really like it as much as my maiden name, but I never considered not taking it. We've been married 14 years now, and I have no regrets.

Like others have said, in this day of so many blended families, it really is no big deal to keep your name. It just wasn't my personal preference.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

Funny. I just walked away from the computer and put the TV on, and "Cheers" is on, and Woody was saying "Darth Vader can't be Luke Skywalker's father...they don't have the same last name."

 

[englishteacha]

I took DH's last name, and added my maiden name as a second middle name. I wanted to keep both my middle name (after a favorite aunt) and my maiden name as part of my name. I'm the only one of 5 girls in my family to keep her full name and just add her hubby's! Having 2 middle initials is difficult because on lots of paperwork there's only one spot for a middle initial. I hope I don't get into legal trouble because some of my documents have one middle initial and some have the other!

(Hey, Purplegirl...try being one of 8 children in a family and telling your 4 sisters you're not planning on having children! Man, those women want to be aunties!!)

 

[Pineapple Princess]

I kept my last name. Why do I have to take HIS last name? I love him but his last name not so much.

My daughter is her first name, middle name, his last name, my last name. I did not - the last names because then she would have had an 18 letter name. Goodness!

And my DH would have changed his last name to mine if it wasn't for professional issues.

These days so many women keep their own names that it isn't really questioned anymore. Do what YOU want to do!

 

[lacrosse_lady72]

I'm an old fashion kind of gal and would never consider keeping my last name... and I would absolutely never consider using a hyphen for myself or my children.

 

[DramaQueen]

not married yet, but i'm not 100% sure if i'd change my last name.
i'm totally a waspy canadian thru & thru and my DBF have a verrry portuguese last name, so i think it's be weird if i had a portuguese last name!

i used to work in HR and i remember the first time i saw a couple combining their names i was so confused!!! only the husband worked for my company so he sent in a form to change his last name and i was super confused! but then i realized that they had combined their last names to create a new one! kinda cool!

 

[AshleyW]

I'm an old fashion kind of gal and would never consider keeping my last name... and I would absolutely never consider using a hyphen for myself or my children.

Ditto for me.

 

[cheermom1]

I changed my last name - I thought about it when I was young and got married the first time and decided that I wasted the same last name as my kids and combining our names I thought would be too much for the kids and I didn't want to do that to them - then I got divorced and left my name the same as now it was just the 3 of us and I wanted them to not be confused with mom all of a sudden not having the same name - then I got remarried when they were older and they understood way more at that point and we all talked about it and wanted me to change my name and wanted me to be happy - I never regretted changing my name...

 

[Bunchkin]

I changed my last name. I didn't even consider keeping my maiden name. I went from a long Greek name, that was frequently mispronounced, to a short Italian name. I got a husband and a better name!

 

[MaumeeMom]

I changed mine & sometimes regret it but that doesn't mean I don't love my husband or being married.

I toyed with keeping my "maiden" name & caught a lot of grief so I caved and took DH's name. I thought about hyphenating the names but that sounded like a bad skin disease.

As a career gal, I always used Ms. instead of Miss (I hated Miss) so in my small bit of rebellion, I always use Ms. Hislastname, never Mrs. (especially in the workplace). I absolutely hate being called Mrs., it makes me feel old.

I didn't use "obey" in my vows and we have some joint & some separate bank accounts. After 15 years we are still going strong.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I bet my ILs would have had a big issue if I had kept my maiden name. But if my DDs choose to keep their maiden name (DH's and ILs' last name), they'd feel all sorts of proud.

And therein lies the irony.

 

[shortbun]

Btw, my son has my mother's given name as his middle name. It's a nod to her side of the family which was all girls and their last name stopped with them.

 

[aprilgail2]

One other note....I have several friends who've been divorced. It's then you see the true flaw of changing your name....

My friend is so happy that she was finally able to get her maiden name back after her divorce- took to much work though!
One of my friends with a nice 4 letter last name married a guy with a 14 letter last name that is VERY odd.....she went to motor vehicle to change her license and the lady said to her "boy you are crazy to change your last name from **** to **************" now 2 years later she is still saying "what was I thinking changing my last name"

 

[ckoncurat]

I wouldn't ever have considered not changing my name. My husbands, kids and I have the same name because we are a family. (We've been married 15 years). The new name is MINE now- my maiden name no longer feel comfortable to me.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Changed mine. I wanted to be "The ____ Family", and not have my future child(ren) always explaining, people wondering, etc. Also, DH's last name was simply cooler than mine.

 

[Andy B]

My Wife took my name when we wed 23 years ago but as she had set up a business before that in her name she keeps her maiden name alive in the business name.

The trouble with making the new name double barrelled is then if it is passed to kids and then they marry what happens then does their name have three or four parts or which bit is then dropped. It may be a convention which some think is outmoded but having a single family name is convenient.

 

[dizluvah]

I had always wanted to keep my maiden name like the OP I was 30 when I got married and was used to my name. But my now DH said it was important to him that I take his name and for him it was a "deal breaker" - so I decided to compromise and take his name as it seemed much more important to him than me. But to this day my friends and I jokingly refer to my hubby as
Mr. (insert my maiden name here)

 

[SydSim]

I had always wanted to keep my maiden name like the OP I was 30 when I got married and was used to my name. But my now DH said it was important to him that I take his name and for him it was a "deal breaker" - so I decided to compromise and take his name as it seemed much more important to him than me. But to this day my friends and I jokingly refer to my hubby as
Mr. (insert my maiden name here)

No disrespect, but if my DH said that not taking his name was a "deal breaker", then the deal would have been broken But then again, I chose to marry him because we have similar views on these types of things.

To those that worry about what kids with both names will do once they get married - I don't really see a problem because so many kids do things entirely different than what their parents do. DD, who has both names, may be fed up with all of those names and could probably drop both of them to take her DH's name.

 

[Pigeon]

No disrespect, but if my DH said that not taking his name was a "deal breaker", then the deal would have been broken But then again, I chose to marry him because we have similar views on these types of things.

I was just about to post this very sentiment. I can't imagine marrying a man who would care about this.

 

[beattyfamily]

I just don't get why people can't just post their decisions about this issue without trying to put in a dig, jab or post their opinion on someone's choice. It's kind of sad.

Otherwise, this is an interesting thread.