Ladies: Did you keep your maiden name after marrying?

[McKenna]

Why or why not?

[LiFeNdEaTh]

i will never get married.. fuck that

but let's say i do.. i would like my partner to do so

[McKenna]

Originally Posted by LiFeNdEaTh

i will never get married.. fuck that

but let's say i do.. i would like my partner to do so

Why?













.

[LiFeNdEaTh]

Originally Posted by McKenna

Why?













.

why? fuck that shit.. if i spent all that money on her ring an wedding etc.. she better.. hahah

maybe that's just me..

[Tryharder62]

I took my husband's name.

[LadyVer]

No. Married name was shorter and it was during the Stone Age.

[LiFeNdEaTh]

Originally Posted by LadyVer

No. Married name was shorter and it was during the Stone Age.

[LadyVer]

Originally Posted by LiFeNdEaTh

[GinaeEvans]

I would take my husband's name. It's not like your maiden name would vanish. If the marriage ended, you can always take it back. Plus, there's the option to hyphenate your last name.

[McKenna]

Originally Posted by LiFeNdEaTh

why? fuck that shit.. if i spent all that money on her ring an wedding etc.. she better.. hahah

maybe that's just me..

What if she doesn't want a ring? Or buys her own? Or goes 50/50 with you?

What if instead of a big, elaborate wedding, you put the money down on a house?

Just trying to understand the mindset. I know some women who've kept their maiden names, and some who haven't.

[LiFeNdEaTh]

Originally Posted by GinaeEvans

I would take my husband's name. It's not like your maiden name would vanish. If the marriage ended, you can always take it back. Plus, there's the option to hyphenate your last name.

exactly..

[McKenna]

Originally Posted by GinaeEvans

I would take my husband's name. It's not like your maiden name would vanish. If the marriage ended, you can always take it back. Plus, there's the option to hyphenate your last name.

Damnit. When I was thinking about this earlier, I meant to include an option to hyphenate.

[McKenna]

I kept my maiden name, but mostly by accident (at the time of our wedding). Something about needing to file separate papers at the consulate; in the country I was married in, women don't automatically take their husband's name upon marrying (as I understand it). By the time we realized we needed to file more paperwork, it was too late to do anything before the wedding.

I thought about filing the proper papers a few months after we were married, but it just never seemed important to either of us. I thought about doing a legal name change when my son was born, but again, it just didn't seem right to either of us.

It's been interesting to hear people's reactions to the fact I kept my maiden name; some have been downright rude. People assume so much when they know so little.

[satindesire]

I took his name because I really liked the way my name sounded with his last name attached to it.

Is that a silly reason? Probably so, I'm pretty sure...but I did it for love.

[shoulderblade]

Originally Posted by GinaeEvans

I would take my husband's name. It's not like your maiden name would vanish. If the marriage ended, you can always take it back. Plus, there's the option to hyphenate your last name.

Thing is that hyphenation is a little awkward in length and really cannot go on for generations. Also is reminiscent of the British Royal Family (???) and sounds vaguely indecisive.

On the other hand keeping the maiden name is neat and direct but does indicate the marriage via the names.

Looks to me like there is no clear "right choice" here so people just go with the flow.

[GinaeEvans]

Originally Posted by shoulderblade

Thing is that hyphenation is a little awkward in length and really cannot go on for generations. Also is reminiscent of the British Royal Family (???) and sounds vaguely indecisive.

On the other hand keeping the maiden name is neat and direct but does indicate the marriage via the names.

Looks to me like there is no clear "right choice" here so people just go with the flow.

Oh, I don't know. Mrs. Petronella Evangeline Holmes-Sherbert-Kingsley-Knight-Shepard-Williams-Smith-Jones-Doe has a certain ring to it.

[dutchrain]

I chanced my last name, had too, keeping the maiden name was no legal option.

A nice bonus was going from the most common last name in the country I was born in, to a quit unique one.

[shoulderblade]

Originally Posted by GinaeEvans

Oh, I don't know. Mrs. Petronella Evangeline Holmes-Sherbert-Kingsley-Knight-Shepard-Williams-Smith-Jones-Doe has a certain ring to it.

Sure. But try signing it on a cheque or document.

[KRCummings]

Of course I changed my name. It's part of marriage and I'm not an idiot who thinks a name really means a whole lot.

[dirtwrench]

My wife gave up her maiden name & took my last name.

Pretty sure there have been times over the last 2+ decades she wondered if either one was the smart thing to do. Marrying me or taking my name.

[Naughtius Maximus]

Originally Posted by dutchrain

I chanced my last name, had too, keeping the maiden name was no legal option.

A nice bonus was going from the most common last name in the country I was born in, to a quit unique one.

[Aquagal]

Originally Posted by dutchrain

I chanced my last name, had too, keeping the maiden name was no legal option.

A nice bonus was going from the most common last name in the country I was born in, to a quit unique one.

I did just the opposite. Losing my very Latino and hard to pronounce name, to quite a common one.

[lovetoread]

I took his.

The funny thing is for months afterwards, whenever I was called by it, I didn't realize that they were talking to me and he got peeved. That was funny.

I kept the last name after, mainly cause it was the kids last name and it pissed the new wife off to not be the only Mrs.

[oggbashan]

One of my names is a grandmothers' maiden name. That helped when I started family history research, even if it is inconvenient to have four names. Other male members of the family have perpetuated the grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great-grandfather's (and so on) Christian name, but as the younger son of a younger son I didn't need to.

I have three daughters. One is unmarried so still has my surname. One used her maiden name as her professional name until she changed employers and needed a new start.

The youngest, an MD, has kept her maiden name for professional purposes and added my surname as a additional Christian name to her full married name. She is married to a medical Ph.D so it is convenient that he is Doctor X and she is Doctor Y.

Socially they are Doctor (his Christian name) and Doctor (her Christian name). At work they use their separate surnames as listed in professional registers but she is often called "Doctor Cake". She gets given too much cake and sometimes she has to take drastic measures to exercise away the consequences.

[chillywilly2]

My wife took my name...Its the proper way and I think it helps to keep them in line.