Wedding Customs & Traditions Forum

changing last name

I will be getting married in July to a wonderful man, and am so excited, but I can't figure out what I want to do about changing my last name. I'm a singer, more specifically about to start a masters program in opera performance, and am gradually trying to make a start for my career. The name on a billboard is can be very important. I love my maiden name in full and also my middle name, and have been told by numerous people that my name is very good for the performance world. The problem is that I'm also pretty old fashioned, and my family is as well, and I would like to find the best option. Just by luck though, my Fiance's last name complicates matters. We are a bi-racial couple and his last name is very true to his origin and is also pretty long. Hyphening is not really an option. 

I see a lot of reasons why people don't change their last names when they have already built their profession upon their maiden names, but I'm just starting to enter the professional world. Would it be best to change my last name and make sure to market with my maiden name or keep my maiden name?

Also as a side note, if (and probably when) we do have kids I only want there to be one last name (his) and keep the feeling of cohesiveness. Sorry for the long post, please give me your opinion.

Thanks!

Re: changing last name

  • I work in broadcast journalism and after the wedding, I legally dropped my maiden name and changed it to my husband's.  However I still use my maiden name on air.
    panther
  • I'm in science and for publications purposes I'm in the same boat.  I want to change my name but other than if people look at my CV/resume it complicates things.  With my maiden name I'll have a good number of important publications but then I'll obviously have more with his last name if I switch (after we get married).  I'm not sure which if I'm going to switch either (I'm working on a project right now that could potentially be huge and just about cure alzheimer's disease).
    image
  • I like changing your name to First Middle YourLast HisLast.  Then it's like you have two middle names, and are just going by your first and middle names professionally, and could still officially be Mrs. HisLast. 

    I'm doing something similar, as did my mother (maybe it's a southern thing?), and officially changing my name to First MyLast HisLast.  It's not like my original middle name disappears, it's still "there," I just don't sign my checks with it.
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