Getting Married: The Pros and Cons of Changing Your Last Name

A time of engagement is a very exciting time for every couple. A bride has a lot of planning to do, and along with that come many decisions for herself and her future husband-including choices about changes that will occur after marriage. Each woman has to decide for herself whether she will change her last name when she marries. There are many reasons for and against this common practice, and as a recent bride, I heard many extreme viewpoints on the issue.

The Pros:

Aesthetics and Personal Taste: If you don't like your maiden name or if you prefer the sound of your name with your husband's last name, you now have an opportunity to change your name and perhaps make a fresh start of things. I chose to change my last name because my husband's last name better reflects my heritage and because I have a poor relationship with my father.

Cultural Acceptance: Although it is culturally acceptable for a woman to retain her maiden name while married, many people (including brides) feel more comfortable by honoring the tradition of taking the husband's last name as their mothers and grandmothers have done.

Being a Mrs.: There's something very content about being a Mrs. In American culture, a woman gains a certain amount of respectability when she becomes a Mrs. or signs her name as such.

The Cons:

Academic and Professional Achievement: Your diplomas, degrees, and professional achievements were most likely earned under your maiden name. Although they still hold the same value, all of the notoriety you earned surrounding those diplomas and achievements may now remain unrecognized.

Loss of Identity: The minister who married my husband and me stressed the importance of us maintaining our own personal identities within our union. Some couples view a name change as a loss of this identity, as a name is of course a symbol of who you are.

Equality: In ancient Ireland, men adopted the last names and clan affiliations of their wives. In contemporary times, many women around the globe take their husbands' last names. Some feminists and couples, however, view one partner taking the other's last name as unequal or as a symbol of a lack of equality.