How did you change your name?

[NovemberGal]

We've been talking about name changes, so now I'm really curious about what folks here did or are planning to do as far as dropping, keeping, and changing names.

I dropped my middle, making my maiden name my middle and taking DH's last name (in the example above, Mary Smith Jones).

[feb-bride]

I kept my original name.

[janie]

Last time I got married I dropped my maiden name and took 1st hubbys surname, this time I am dropping my old married name and taking 2nd hubbys surname. My daughter is also taking her new stepdads surname as she has nothing to do with her father and views stepdad as her real dad. So we will all be Clark

[SerendipityCrafts]

In Quebec, taking your husband's name is not allowed by law and so ....

Socially I am - Mary Jane Jones or simply Mary Jones (no one actually uses my middle name)
At work I am - Mary Smith Jones
Legally I am still - Mary Jane Smith (at least until I move out of this backwards province!)

[m_t_rose]

I didn't even think about dropping my middle name to keep my maiden name. I wonder if I could do that now. I have already changed my name to Mary Jane Jones.

[sparklesweetie]

I took his name - I tried to convince him to take mine, as my family name ends with my sister since nobody had any boys. But, he said no, and then I found out that he'd be really hurt if I didn't take his, so that's what I did.

[Julz518]

I'm going to be Mary Smith Jones, legally.

Socially I'll be Mary Jones, and professionally I'll be Mary Smith... I really wanted to have the same last name as my kids, and hyphenating isn't practical.

[alongroadahead08]

I'll be taking his. My last name consists of 13 letters. Could you imagine Ashley XXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX???????? No way. I'll keep my middle name and take his last name. I keep teasing him that his last name is the only reason i'm marrying him because his last name only have 5 letters and mine has 13. Teehee!

[SerendipityCrafts]

Originally Posted by Julz518

I'm going to be Mary Smith Jones, legally.

Socially I'll be Mary Jones, and professionally I'll be Mary Smith...

so what you are saying is that people might as well call the two of us Sybil?

[Julz518]

Originally Posted by SerendipityCrafts

so what you are saying is that people might as well call the two of us Sybil?

Yeah, i guess you could! I'm not even married yet and you could!

In the past year or so I've been getting more and more mail/email to Mary Smith-Jones. It appears that my friends have already decided what THEY want my new name to be!!! In addition, at the vet's office mine and our dog's last name is Smith-Jones.

I've even already been to a few weddings (even before we were engaged) as Mary Jones!

[RJE080703]

My situation was similar to Ashley's yet different.

My maiden name consisted of only 2 letters, and a family history on my dad's side I was thrilled to leave behind!

So I was thrilled to take on my husbands last name!!

[ringem1]

I will be taking his last name. My last name is really long and his is short plus I dont want to have the confusion of trying to explain to our children why they have two last names.

[Yelycrazygirl]

I kept mine… cultural reasons… I already had two surnames, without a hyphen…. That's the norm where I'm from as we don't change last names after being married. So I kept mine, that's who I am, what defines me, etc…

Legally I'm Lisi XXXXXXX XXXXXXXX where the xs are my two surnames. I don't have a middle name. Here I use a hyphen to not cause confusion but I still do…. People just don't get it or don't want to get it!!!!

DH didn't have a problem of me not taking his last name, he is totally fine with it especially because it's a cultural thing. Our children will have his last name hyphenated to my first surname. We don't have any problems explaining to our children why their last name is how it is…. And I don't have any problems explaining why I have two surnames, not DH's name.

Now socially I've been called DH's last name which doesn't bother me, I'm just not used to, and if I'm called like that it will take me a minute to react, which is REALLY funny…..

[SerendipityCrafts]

Originally Posted by Julz518

Yeah, i guess you could! I'm not even married yet and you could!

In the past year or so I've been getting more and more mail/email to Mary Smith-Jones. It appears that my friends have already decided what THEY want my new name to be!!! In addition, at the vet's office mine and our dog's last name is Smith-Jones.

I've even already been to a few weddings (even before we were engaged) as Mary Jones!

Sometimes I don't know if I am coming or going.

My kids have my ex's last name but they have known all along that Mom has her own name too. It wasn't a biggy .... but it did confuse my son a bit, only because my maiden name is also a boy's proper name & we gave it to him as his middle name. He wanted to know why his sister didn't have my last name too.

[feb-bride]

Originally Posted by ringem1

I will be taking his last name. My last name is really long and his is short plus I dont want to have the confusion of trying to explain to our children why they have two last names.

My kids have a different last name from me (they have my husband's last name), and it doesn't confuse them at all. I'm not saying that women should not change their last names, but it bugs me when people accuse me of confusing my kids by keeping my original name. I know you are not doing that because you don't even know me, but that's the sort of stuff I have to deal with IRL.

[maroki13]

I took DH's last name and dropped my maiden name. It was pretty easy to get used to, because less than a month after we got married I had 25 1st graders calling me "Mrs. XXXXX" a million times a day. It took a little bit longer for me to get used to signing my name that way though.

We never seriously considered any other option. My middle name has been in my mom's family for at least 5 generations and it is really special to me, and I also have a brother and male cousins that will pass on my maiden name.

[KaileK]

I am procrastinating. I dont want to change my last name!

If/when I do, I will hyphenate the two last names.

Our DS has his dad's last name and although some people get confused as to who I am since I dont have the child's name, its really no biggie and not something that influences my decision

[Marge129]

I changed my last name completely. I like the idea of having my husband's last name... I still have Jerry's last name so it's the same as Natalie. When (and if) I marry again, I will keep Jerry's last name and add the new husband's.

I will legally change my name to Ciarrai Elizabeth Hislastname, but professionally will still be known by my maiden name, since my name is important as a journalist. As for kids, they'll probably get his last name, since my brother and two of my cousins will hopefully have sons and carry on the name. I'm the only girl Mylastname.

[HtownNole]

For various and sundry reasons, I most definitely will be dropping my maiden name....I had never even considered dropping my middle name legally.

[ringem1]

Originally Posted by feb-bride

My kids have a different last name from me (they have my husband's last name), and it doesn't confuse them at all. I'm not saying that women should not change their last names, but it bugs me when people accuse me of confusing my kids by keeping my original name. I know you are not doing that because you don't even know me, but that's the sort of stuff I have to deal with IRL.

Oh I am not accusing you of anything....I know how people can be. I to have my dads last name even after my mom remarried and I had a rough time throughout school trying to explain why I didnt have my mom's last name. The kids could be really cruel and basically didnt understand. They would say things like she doesnt even have a mommy, she just made one up. And when you are 5 and just trying to figure this name thing out yourself its very hurtful. I am just choosing to take his last name because I trully dont want to be known by my dad's last name, it kinda gives me a bad rep just beacuse of his lifestyle and his siblings. Plus FH's brother had 2 little girls and we hope to have boys to carry the name on for his family.

[Kim&Bob2004]

I kept my first name, middle name and took Bob's last name. Never even thought about it any other way.... I love having my husband's last name, it doesn't bother me in the least. My initials are the same btw.....

[Marksbride]

I kept my first and middle and took Mark's last name.

I went from Carey to Groskreutz....quite a difference!

[todaysdestinationwedding]

When I married my first husband I dropped my maiden name and took his. When I married the 2nd time, I dropped my first husbands name and took my 2nd husbands last name. My kids all still have my ex's last name. I still get called Mrs. First Husband once in a while...like the beginning of the school year when new teachers assume you are Mrs. Kid.

[Jen81]

I'm intending to hyphenate my last name...My kids already have hyphenated(sp?)last names with both our names and they aren't confused at all,except for the fact they hate to write it out,lol...they've always understood they have 2 last names because their father and I aren't married yet and it doesn't seem to be an issue...sadly where they go to school their family situation seems odd to most of their classmates because their parents are still together.