My cousin Elsha graduated medical school 2 years ago and is currently going through her residency in Miami, FL. I was so happy for her after she graduated that we partied till 7 a.m. the night of her graduation party! I don’t remember too much from that evening ( Yikes!), but there is one memory that I always seem to recall so vividly. I remember sitting on the floor in my bedroom beside Elsha at 6:30 a.m and asking her
“So what are you going to do now that you’re done with school…” and her screaming back at me at the top of her lungs:
“I don’t know, but I know I am not going to let some guy take away my last name after I worked so hard for this DR. title!”
Maybe it was because I never heard her yell that loud, but ever since then I always wondered what do woman do after marriage if they want to keep their last name?
In today’s world, marriage name change issues aren’t only for “Dr.s” and “Professors”. No matter the reason, woman are deciding on keeping their last names after they tie the knot. If you’re one of those brides, don’t wait until you exchange your wedding vows to make a decision. Take a look at some of these popular marriage name change options:
- You can use your maiden name as your middle name and your husband’s name as your last.
Jennifer Renee Monroe + Mike Stiller = Jennifer Monroe Stiller
- Incorporate a hyphen between the two names to create a new last name. This marriage name change is great because you get to keep your name; however, saying your full name can be a bit much. Brides who HAVE TO have the same last name as their husbands usually ask their husband to take on the name as well.
Jennifer Renee Monroe + Mike Stiller = Jennifer Monroe-Stiller and Mike Monroe-Stiller
- Most woman decide to take their husband’s name legally, but use their maiden name professionally. For day-to-day activities you would use your new married name and for anything business related you would use the name you always had.
* This is the route my cousin ended up taking after her marriage this past October.
- Finally the last and most obvious option is to ask your husband to take your last name. It may seem a bit taboo, but remind him it’s 2009 BABY!!
Jennifer Renee Monroe + Mike Stiller = Jennifer Renee Monroe and Mike Monroe.
So there you have it, a few of the most popular marriage name change options. How you decide to arrange your new married name is only limited by your creativity, so work with your spouse and see what they’re comfortable with.
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