By Are you planning on changing your last name? Do you really want to? Are you ready to? There are numerous reasons why someone makes the decision to take their spouse's last name when they get married. We narrowed down the possible reasons and alternatives, in case you realize that the whole idea doesn’t suit you anymore.
-
Quite possibly the most popular reason; it provides a sense of unity that allows for their new journey to be embarked as a real family.
-
It helps when dealing with all aspects of life, such as schools or travelling, for you and your children, to be recognized as one family.
-
People already expect it, so you will be hearing “Hey, Mrs. Smith” before you’ve even jump the broom - so you may as well roll with it.
-
If you ever had a crush on a boy in middle school and found yourself doodling “Mrs. Sarah Johnson” while you were taking notes, well, your day of doodling will manifest into actually signing your name.
-
Hey, if you don’t particularly like your own last name, here’s your chance to get out of it!
Did you know about 80% of women take their husband’s last name when they get married? Here are a few reasons the other 20% may not have opted out of the tradition-
-
Some believe they will lose their identity.
-
Politics - “Why am I expected to change my name, but the man is not?”
-
Many consider it detrimental to their reputation that they’ve already established, whether in their career or in general, and they don’t want to have to reestablish it because of a name change.
-
Some don’t care to be labeled as “old-fashioned”.
-
Some may simply love the man, but hate the name - right Julia Gulia?
Despite these things, there are other options when it comes to “taking names”. Some of these alternatives can even save you a lifetime of resentment with your spouse-
-
Hyphenate. You keep your name and hyphenate your spouses.
-
Maybe they want to take your last name also, so you BOTH hyphenate.
-
Maybe they like your last name better, so you both simply take your name. I mean it's 2015, no one would be surprised.
-
If you fear to lose your name, bestow it upon your first child as their first or middle name.
-
Combine your two names and create a NEW name and NEW legacy of your own. For example, Sarah Smith and Jason Johnson can become the Smithson’s - mind blown.
Either way, think about it before you jump into the zombie apocalypse of tradition; and make sure you discuss it together so no one gets their feelings hurt.