Married Last Names

[wishing4PA]

The thought of going by Kelly Kelly for the rest of her life was ridiculous. He agreed and was fine with it.

I know someone who made the opposite choice.
Her name is one of the first names I learned when I moved to her town.

 

[disykat]

I hyphenate my last name because I was the last person in our family with the name. That hasn't caused me any issues.

However, I have always gone by my middle name. No one has ever called me by my first name. Ever. This is the biggest pain in the butt ever! If I would have known when I got married that I could drop my first name or switch my first and middle names around I would have done so in a heartbeat!

If you have a child who goes by their middle name, change their name now while it's still easy!

I agree! I have actually opened my mouth and given advice (based on my personal experience) to a few people who told me that they were naming the baby "first middle" because of the way it flows, but planned to call them "middle." It's never been received well. My cousin actually brought it up years later and said she should have listened to me. I would never drop my first name since I'm named after both grandmothers and do use both on occasion, but it sure would have been less complicated if they were switched!

 

[CdnCarrie]

DH has a relative who's first name and last name are the same - think Donald Donald.
But he goes by Don Donald.
But why? Why would a mother do that? I don't understand. Maybe at least just put the first name as Don on the birth certificate.

ETA - Smith-Smith is just stupid. Everyone going to think it's a clerical error.

 

[charmed59]

I never changed my name. My DDs have their father’s surname. My surname is their middle name. If they change their names when they get married they would still have my surname as their middle name, unless they change their middle name too.

 

[DisneyHardin]

DH has a relative who's first name and last name are the same - think Donald Donald.
But he goes by Don Donald.
But why? Why would a mother do that? I don't understand. Maybe at least just put the first name as Don on the birth certificate.

ETA - Smith-Smith is just stupid. Everyone going to think it's a clerical error.

My Mom's neighbor growing up was named Brian O'Brien

 

[Becky Mouse]

Yeah that seems rather silly...
Biggest paperwork mistake I ever made was legally hyphenating my name when I got married. It's been a hassle ever since and I wish I hadn't done it. Oh well...at least it's not Smith-Smith!

One thing I didn't know until I started doing genealogy...

A lot of women used to make their maiden names their middle names!

For example, let's say a woman's name was Sarah Jane Smith, and she married John Doe. She might then change her name to Sarah Smith Doe.

 

[Becky Mouse]

I agree! I have actually opened my mouth and given advice (based on my personal experience) to a few people who told me that they were naming the baby "first middle" because of the way it flows, but planned to call them "middle." It's never been received well. My cousin actually brought it up years later and said she should have listened to me. I would never drop my first name since I'm named after both grandmothers and do use both on occasion, but it sure would have been less complicated if they were switched!

I think it's a Southern thing. Literally everyone in my mother-in-law's family is that way. She and her brothers all go by their middle names. So does her mom, and so did her grandmother. To me, it was really weird!

 

[CdnCarrie]

My Mom's neighbor growing up was named Brian O'Brien

that’s exactly what I mean!
Crazy weird.

 

[AppleDumpling]

A lot of women used to make their maiden names their middle names!

For example, let's say a woman's name was Sarah Jane Smith, and she married John Doe. She might then change her name to Sarah Smith Doe.

A lot of women still do. And many women, regardless of what their “legal” name is, do it that way on social media, so that friends who knew them pre-marriage can find them more easily. (Same reason it helps with genealogy.)

 

[Becky Mouse]

A lot of women still do. And many women, regardless of what their “legal” name is, do it that way on social media, so that friends who knew them pre-marriage can find them more easily. (Same reason it helps with genealogy.)

Interesting! I'd never seen it before, but I think I kind of like it. This way, a woman can choose to have the same last name as her husband and children if she wants to, but she can also keep her maiden name.