“I’d Really Like To Hear The Reasoning Behind Women Who Won’t Take Their Husband’s Last Name” (28 Answers)
As we have said more than once, a wedding is one of the most important days in the life of any person, and any wedding consists of a whole set of traditional elements that we are actually so used to that we don’t even notice.
White bridesmaid dress, 'something borrowed, something new', walking down the aisle with beautiful classical music, exchanging rings, kissing at the altar, changing of the bride's last name, honeymoon trip... Wait, let's go back one step - just the tradition of taking a husband's last name today is gradually fading into the past. Or not?

Image credits: @_MercyFul
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Can't upvote this enough, you work your a*s off through school, to take someone elses name on some antiquated notion of chattel.
This makes perfect sense. I had no such accomplishments. I hated my maiden name... my last name was George, which kids in school changed to Gorge (I'm a larger gal, always have been). I'm the last George in this line but my father understood my pain. SO I took my husband's name. Everyone I knew was shocked, figuring I'd either keep my name or hyphenate, but I was tickled to change from George to Russ. Still don't have a proper last name, just went from one man's first name to another.
It's YOUR name, you are right. No law says you must do otherwise, just outdated social convention,
Oh, heck no! My first husband graciously "allowed" me to keep my name as long as i hyphenated it with his. He split after 8 months and it took several years for the school to even change it both to and back!
So you do it for people to call you "Dr. Your dad's last name?"
I love this!!!! My equal not my owner!!!! This wasn't my reason, but this would be my reason now.
This absolutely was my reason and I tell people too!
Load More Replies...As a practicing attorney before I married, I get this. My business is my name. I can't just change my name and expect everyone to know it's the same business.
I agree - my name is on my diplomas, law license and the appeals I've written. It would be like starting over. Its also way too much paperwork. I'm bogged down enough with my day job. I'm happy to go by his last name in social settings, but not legally and professionally.
Load More Replies...Because my last name is easier to spell / pronounce / read / say. Because I don't want to. Because I have a very cool last name and partner doesn't. Because I have financials tied to my last name. Because I don't want to go through the court requirements or paperwork. Because I do t want to deal. Because.
My ex still uses my last name because thats the name she built her business reputation under. And im ok with that
It all started with this tweet from user @_MercyFul, as she wondered why women today refuse to take their husband's last name after marriage. The thread went viral with women coming up with various reasonings, from totally comical to completely logical and justified. So please feel free to read a selection of the most interesting opinions thoroughly collected by Bored Panda especially for you.
It's pretty standard in Italy too , to keep your surname.
Load More Replies...In Italy, women keep their last name and I can't think of a single reason to change it.
My Venezuelan ex- could go back 6 or 7 maternal generations because of that tradition. I always admired that.
I have a friend and she is in marketing on the radio. She did a really cute transition from her old last name to her new last name. It was really cute but I get it.
just that. (And when I got divorced I didn't have to change my name back for the whole world to know)
Exactly the reason I kept my name the second time around! What a pain!
Load More Replies...This is why I was surprised my mum changed her name (though she did go double-barrel) when she married my stepdad. She didn't change it when she married my dad (didn't need to think about it as it was the same name anyway) and to me, after 50+ years it seems like changing her identity.
Historically, the tradition in which a woman takes her husband's last name after marriage comes from an ancient patriarchal society, when the wife actually left her own family after the wedding, joining the husband's extended family. Today, of course, this is not the case, but the tradition still persists.
And still, there are exceptions - for example, in Greece since 1983, according to the law, a woman retains her maiden name throughout her life. Or in Spain, where every child born receives two last names - the first is the name of the father, and the second is the mother's. However, local activists are also deeply concerned that this rule de facto downplays the role of the maternal last name.
I’m adopted, and this would be my reasoning! I loved my adopted father and I’m proud to call myself by his last name. It’s something that he absolutely chose to give me (by choosing to adopt me) and I’m grateful.
Such a heartwarming statement. I teared a little when I read this.
Load More Replies...It's a sweet thought! ...but does anyone else see the irony in the statement? It's not a thing her mother gave her but her father.
Perhaps the mother had taken her husband's name when she married? It would be weird if she adopted the mother's maiden name!
Load More Replies...YES!!!! Why would honoring the woman's family name be less important than honoring the man's family name?! Mexico has it right!! I love and respect my parents and am proud to carry their name with me.
I'm the exact opposite, I could not wait to change my last name. It really gave me a sense of new beginnings and the chance to NOT be known as their child x
If I ever choose to get married, I will definitely keep my last name because my family is mostly women in my generation. My nephew and my cousin are the two that are carrying on my last name. My cousin just got married last year so there is hope.
Same, thanks for sharing! I feel the same sentiment towards my Dad. I remember before being adopted teachers would say something if I wrote my dad's last name on my papers, like it was a legal document or something..lol but I'm proud that he chose me to be his daughter
But if your mum had kept her own surname you could have a choice of whom to honour... Your surname is yours, but was your father's, not necessarily your mother's.
I think it should be your choice. I don't talk to my biodad and my moms remarried so I want to change my name and feel included in his family. But I totally understand why others want to keep their name.
Load More Replies...I actually took my wife's last name to combat this outdated tradition,
That's why I didn't wear a ring. I don't like jewelry and I'm left-handed so it would be dangerous at work.
And if you ever get divorced, then you'll have to do all of it again to change it back. Many women choose not to change it back just bc of having to go thru the same hassle all over again
This was me. Plus, professional certifications that would need to be changed. Too much hassle!
Totally. For some insane reason I decided to take my husband's name when we married a few years back (been together 16, married for almost 2). What a ginormous PAIN IN THE A*S. My login for practically every account we use contains my maiden name, so I choose to not change those. When I went to the bank to change my name on MY account the teller said I needed to bring in my marriage license. Here's my old ID with the address I opened the account, here's my new ID with my current address (which was updated online, so it was in the "system"), as you can clearly see both pictures are of ME. Had to talk to a manager. He said the same thing, so I asked "do you also need my husband's permission and a signature from my father? Close my account. I have no desire to bank with such a misogynistic company". Took the check they issued to the credit union, which is a joint account. She looked at both IDs and deposited the check. Done & Done. USBANK - you suck.
PS: My husband didn't care either way. He still smiles every time he refers to me as his wife & that's really all that matters.
Load More Replies...I'm always confused by people who say they had to change their social security number. I've been married three times and I still have the same number I got when I was in my teens and started working.
That's my reasons exactly! Well, I've kept my first husband's name because its the last name of my daughters. They are likely keeping their last names. I remarried 3 years ago and ya, all the reasons listed. Seems a pain to gather the papers and send em to dmv, SS, banks, CCs companies, new name badge, all that c**p.
Very practical consideration. How do we handle it with kids? What will be their last name?
You don't get a new SSN when you change your name, least not in the USA.
Not a number, but a new card… issued with the same number but new name.
Load More Replies...According to a 2015 study, approximately 70% of American women take their husband's last name after changing their marital status. A year later, a similar survey among British women showed almost 90%. Looks pretty strange, doesn't it? "What is it - a harmless tradition or something that has crept into our world from the past?" asks Simon Duncan, professor at the University of Bradford, in his 2019 study.
Yep, there should be no transference of “ownership”… Fathers giving their daughters away in weddings is so icky too.
Idk about the father giving them away thing. I mean it's tradition.
Load More Replies...Because then women might start burning their bras and voting!
Load More Replies...That should be good enough as a reason except my nephew in law changed his name to my nieces surname because he didn't want his children known by his pedophile fathers surname.
See, THAT is a damn good reason to change your name. I don't blame him.
Load More Replies...One of my cousins changed his name to his mother's (my cousin) maiden name because his father was never in his life. Good enough for me. She also changed her name to her maiden name at the same time.
I know one who changed to his wife’s last name. Mostly for practical reasons. His last name was very common as was his first.
Load More Replies...I did. I took my wife's last name because I thought it was unfair that women had to take the husband's name.
My bio dad is verbally abusive to his kids (there's 5 of us) I have his name. And when I get my PhD. I want to bring power to a drug addict name. I want to bring good to my family who don't believe in me
Actually some men do take the wives last name, but that is probably because her name is special while his own family name is quite ordinary.
"Some men still insist on this - a kind of echo of the patriarchal tradition of the past," Professor Duncan emphasizes. "And some women do not mind, taking it for granted, they say that they dream of becoming 'Mrs. So-and-so' by changing their identity". The researcher goes further, calling what's happening now 'pretty dangerous,' whether the couple is deliberately sticking to an old tradition or just doing it 'as is customary.'
And so this collection, as we do think, will be of interest to both women and men. If you started thinking about the reasons for the emergence and development of such traditions in the contemporary world, then this list was definitely not in vain. So please feel free to scroll it to the very end and maybe add your own reasoning for keeping your own name after leaving the altar.
My child has my husband's last name. No qualms there. I have to clarify often that her dad & I are married but I'm a divorce attorney so that's a non issue for me.
I wish now that we'd given our daughter my last name and kept my husband's last name for our son. I asked her when she was about 10 how she felt about her first name with my last name, and she laughed and said her last name was father's last name. So, too late!
Load More Replies...I changed mine because my maiden name was used to bully and harass me all through school. I hated it and my father approved my changing it (not that he HAD to but we had the discussion anyway).
I hyphenated my daughter's last name, with my husband's agreement. I'd said at the time that as she grew up, if she chose to drop one name or the other, or combine them into one, or take a new name when she marries, that will be her prerogative. Irony, she has no problem with the long hyphenated last name but wants to (and is!) called by a different first name! They're just names and it's great to choose what you want to be called. "A rose by any other name would be as sweet," right?!
Both my husband's last name and mine have 9 letters! We talked about hyphenation before we got married but decided against it.
Load More Replies...And then when you kid with the hyphenated last name marries another with a hyphenated last name that also wants to keep their name, then your grandkids can potentially become a Four-Part-Hyphenated-Surname, and your great-grandkids can have 8 last names, and so on, and so on. At some point it just becomes unmanageable.
We had the agreement that if when had gotten children boys would be my last name his last name and girls the other way around.
that would be too perfect. "You're here to see Dr. Mentle?"
Load More Replies...Yup. I took the surname my husband now uses, but it's his mother's maiden name, not his father's. So, I guess we both changed our names, just to the same thing. Couldn't really do it the other way round because then he would have been (not the real names) Lewis Lewis...
I took my husband's surname because it was an upgrade. Was an Olson. In Minnesota. Olsons were a good 25% of the population.
Load More Replies...One of my wife's good friends is a guy whose parents divorced when he was young. By all accounts, Bio-Dad was an abusive jerk. Mom kept her married name even after the divorce, because she was a professional realtor (now retired), and she didn't want to go through the hassle of changing all her business cards, stationery, etc. My wife's friend took his maternal grandfather's last name after the divorce--he always felt closer to Grandpa than to Bio-Dad, and he wanted to reflect that by taking Grandpa's last name.
it says her last name is power, i don't blame her for keeping it!
now if she has kids a boy needs to be names Austin
Load More Replies...I hear ya. I took my ex's last name, but it never felt right. I changed it back to my birth surname first chance I got. I'll never change it again, not even for a hyphenated version, and I would never tag a child with a hyphenated surname either.
Hi, Mrs. My History, I'm Lollipop Girl (bad dad joke, I'm sorry)
Have a friend who is madly in love with his wife after 25 years and introduces his wife as his "first wife". She laughs at people's reactions. They were meant for each other.
It’s a real thing, men don’t own women. so there’s no reason for women to take men’s names unless they want to.
I think the politicians in Germany just decided against merging names which I believe is a mistake. Besides being a patriarchy outdated thing, we lose family names this way every year. We should be able to create new names by merging. We would get new names, more equality and more fun
A friend of mine and her wife took half of each of their last names and made a new one.
"From California, to the New York island, from the redwood forest, to the gulf stream waters..."
And my name is easier to pronounce and spell than his too! Believe it or not, new clients care about little things like being able to easily pronounce who they will ge doing business with over time.
My wife is far more successful than I am professionally. Seemed silly she would take mine.
I took his surname as it was nicer than mine. Now I’m divorcing the kn@bwomble, I can’t decide what to do. Cara Panda maybe?
My mom took her husband's last name, divorced him, kept it for a couple years (because hassle and etc), then had a dream about a talking eagle and changed her name to the one the eagle called her. Yes, she is a hippie, why do you ask?
Load More Replies...No one? If I get married, I'm instantly combining my surname with my wife's. Length isn't as big as an issue as what she's saying.
As long as it isn't as bad as Hollyhock Manheim-Mannheim-Guerrero-Robinson-Zilberschlag-Hsung-Fonzerelli-McQuack
Load More Replies...Yes! “ Wine-Mama-Thyri” and then to add the partner’s name as well. I can see the issue.
My last name is hard to spell and my husband's isn't. We both took each other's last names so we now share both of our names. Both of our last names are special and there's less than 100 people called it in Denmark, which is also why we both kept our last names but just added each other's. And I'm very happy we did that and that we now share the same last name and starts on our new journey and a new family 🙏🏻
I get it. I hyphenated to keep my longish name but still take his. My last name is now 11 letters long not including the hyphen. But I wanted the best of both options. I don't think I should have to disavow my history to get married, but I still felt like having the same last name was somewhat important to me. So here we are. My only regret is not asking him to also hyphenate so we could take each other's names (and idk what the rules are on that now, but it was definitely a pain for me to do)
My last name was a beautiful gift given to me by my adoptive father when I was 8 years old. I owe it to that man to keep that name. No man will ever hold a candle to what he did for me.
That legitimately got me a little choked up, what a beautiful sentiment 🥹
Load More Replies...100! Like why does it matter, do, don't, it doesn't matter, just love each other and live your life.
Load More Replies..."I'd really like to hear the reasoning behind men who don't take wives' last names" See how ridiculous that sounds?
When I was a small child in the 1950s, the first thing I noticed about gender inequity (which was never or rarely discussed back then) was women giving up their previous name. It just seemed so one-way to me and consequently made no sense.
My mom kept her last name when she married my dad. That's great and all, but when my brother was born they didn't want to give him a hyphenated name but couldn't decide which of their last names to go with so they made up a new one. Apparently that is (or was) legal in some states. Then when I was born they gave me the same last name as my brother, so now me, my mom, and my dad each have a different last name. It gets very confusing when teachers try to contact either of my parents.
You must live in a very traditional place if parents having different surnames to their kids is considered confusing for the school. Surely they have school records that say who your parents are. How can it be confusing?
Load More Replies...It never occurred to either of us to say I'd take his surname. He didn't/doesn't own me. He felt as strongly as I did about it. "Nope, we're married, not owned" basically. So, yeah. Most people don't grasp it, and while we expected me to be called Mrs. Hisname, it's happened that he's been called Mr. Myname. We correct them, they look confused anyway, life goes on.
Honestly I might change my name just because I'm fed up with the dumb jokes surrounding mine.
I have a friend whose last name is Cockburn. Lmao. He insists it's pronounced "co-bun" but I know the truth and won't ever shut up abt it.
Load More Replies...My last name was a beautiful gift given to me by my adoptive father when I was 8 years old. I owe it to that man to keep that name. No man will ever hold a candle to what he did for me.
That legitimately got me a little choked up, what a beautiful sentiment 🥹
Load More Replies...100! Like why does it matter, do, don't, it doesn't matter, just love each other and live your life.
Load More Replies..."I'd really like to hear the reasoning behind men who don't take wives' last names" See how ridiculous that sounds?
When I was a small child in the 1950s, the first thing I noticed about gender inequity (which was never or rarely discussed back then) was women giving up their previous name. It just seemed so one-way to me and consequently made no sense.
My mom kept her last name when she married my dad. That's great and all, but when my brother was born they didn't want to give him a hyphenated name but couldn't decide which of their last names to go with so they made up a new one. Apparently that is (or was) legal in some states. Then when I was born they gave me the same last name as my brother, so now me, my mom, and my dad each have a different last name. It gets very confusing when teachers try to contact either of my parents.
You must live in a very traditional place if parents having different surnames to their kids is considered confusing for the school. Surely they have school records that say who your parents are. How can it be confusing?
Load More Replies...It never occurred to either of us to say I'd take his surname. He didn't/doesn't own me. He felt as strongly as I did about it. "Nope, we're married, not owned" basically. So, yeah. Most people don't grasp it, and while we expected me to be called Mrs. Hisname, it's happened that he's been called Mr. Myname. We correct them, they look confused anyway, life goes on.
Honestly I might change my name just because I'm fed up with the dumb jokes surrounding mine.
I have a friend whose last name is Cockburn. Lmao. He insists it's pronounced "co-bun" but I know the truth and won't ever shut up abt it.
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