last names

sarabear23 · March 2010

Did any of you ladies hyphenate your last names when you got married? I am leaning towards doing so, even though it will be a lot to write. I'm just curious how many people here have done it, and if you did, what was the reason behind it?

salt78 · March 2010

I didn't. It would have been entirely too long. I just made my maiden last name my middle name.

WildRumpus · March 2010

Nope. If I hyphenated, my first and two last names would be 20 letters.

Badgerengr · March 2010

Nope. I straight up kept my name as it was.

beatlesgirl25 · March 2010

I kept my name. And everyone I've known who planned on hyphenating just ended up doing what Salt did (maiden as middle, and new last name), but I'm not sure why. So sorry, I'm not much help here.

katiewhompus · March 2010

Nope, I took Dh's completely. His last name is much easier to say/spell and is shorter.

mocha beans · March 2010

I will not. My middle name is already hyphenated. It makes it long and annoying. I'll be dropping my maiden name and my mom's last name from my middle name and taking FI's last name. A bit shorter and easier.

sarah0725 · March 2010

I'm just keeping mine legally. Professional concerns, and all that.

RachNRich · March 2010

I haven't decided what I'm going to do yet. I think I'm going to change it to H's...because hyphenating my name would make it 25 letters long. Heck no.

louisvillebride21 · March 2010

I have two middle names, so I'm dropping the second one and replacing it with my maiden. I don't think I would be so attached to it if it wasn't the absolute last connection I have with my real dad that passed away. He was my only family and I just can't get rid of his name. However, I will totally go by FI last name. It's jsut for me to know and have.

LesPaul · March 2010

I'm not a fan of hyphenated names. If it works for you, fine - I just don't like them. I also changed my middle name to my maiden name. Although my maiden name and married name are both first names too.

ggmae · March 2010

No, but I did bump my maiden name to my 2nd middle name so that I could take N's last name.

kimheartsscott · March 2010

My last name is nothing special, very very common. But, so is FI's. I will be taking his.

sarabear23 · March 2010

I didnt even think about keeping my last name as a second middle name, I like that idea! Thanks everyone!

fangsiting · March 2010

My sister hyphenated. I don't know why. Her new hyphenated name is only 8 letters. So would mine, if I hyphenated, but I'm not changing my name in any way. I don't agree with the practice.

ggmae · March 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_last-names?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:1180693a-430d-4c01-bf7f-fc4ad1516516Post:c84e9ab4-ef9b-4932-80b1-09915f2cd8fc">Re: last names</a>:
[QUOTE]I didnt even think about keeping my last name as a second middle name, I like that idea! Thanks everyone!
Posted by sarabear23[/QUOTE]

Yup. I go by Gretchen NewLastName, but I have 4 names on my SS card. On my DL, I needed to choose 1 middle name for the initial, so I chose my maiden. It was just a matter of not wanting to get rid of my middle OR last name, so I decided to do this so that I could keep both.

ootmother2 · March 2010

I didn't change my name but wanted our daughter to have both surnames, hyphenated. Bad idea, that would have required too many legal statements and fees.

M just made her maiden name her middle and dropped her original middle name.

When I married and didn't change my name to my husband's, I thought it was making a huge statement. Today, no one even blinks.

tenofcups4me · March 2010

I don't think I have any friends or family who hyphenated -- about half kept their name (including me); the other half changed to his name.

RachNRich · March 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_last-names?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:1180693a-430d-4c01-bf7f-fc4ad1516516Post:f84c34c2-35a5-48d2-b6f8-d2fb63499013">Re: last names</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: last names : Yup. I go by Gretchen NewLastName, but I have 4 names on my SS card. On my DL, I needed to choose 1 middle name for the initial, so I chose my maiden. It was just a matter of not wanting to get rid of my middle OR last name, so I decided to do this so that I could keep both.
Posted by ggmae[/QUOTE]

<div>I like this option, gg. The only thing stopping me from hyphenating to begin with was not wanting both names on my drivers license. This makes more sense. </div>

fangsiting · March 2010

OOT-what fees & legal statements are required?

Night_Sprite · March 2010

I kept my last name. I already have a grad degree in my name and my last name is better. So it stays. Also, theoretical future children will have my name.

Kristin789 · March 2010

I teach at a college where the average age is 29, so we have a lot of getting-married students and married students. Here's the breakdown:

1% do not change their name

4% use all four names: First Middle Maiden Last

5% hyphenate

40% use First Middle Last

50% use First Maiden Last

sarabear23 · March 2010

Thanks Kristen! Thats really interesting.

kate51485 · March 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_last-names?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:1180693a-430d-4c01-bf7f-fc4ad1516516Post:6b513b3b-1992-49a8-aff8-22387ce77c1e">Re: last names</a>:
[QUOTE]I kept my last name. I already have a grad degree in my name and my last name is better. So it stays. Also, theoretical future children will have my name.
Posted by Night_Sprite[/QUOTE]

Would your H change his name to yours, if your kids will have that name?

kikipania · March 2010

Keeping maiden as middle name, taking his last name.

caseylynne21 · March 2010

i am keeping mine...i had always planned on changing it but after my grandpa passed i decided i didnt want to loose that...

emarston1 · March 2010

One girl on my local board took his last name but kept hers so she legally has two last names (no hyphen.) So she is Sally Smith Jones. She can either be Sally Smith, Sally Jones, or Sally Smith Jones and all are perfectly legal. She said it was just as easy as any other option but gives her more flexibility (ie she can be Sally Jones in social situations but keep her maiden name and be Sally Smith professionally.)

Supposedly it was really easy when she went to the Secretary of State she just wrote down both names without the hyphen.

Oh and to answer the poll, I will be taking his name.

andyandhillary · March 2010

I am taking his name. We both have hard last names to pronounce and spell but I just like taking his. I am not attached to my last name, it's nothing great (or bad) and I have almost all male cousins and lots of them to continue the family name. I also have no professional reasons to keep it.

lyndausvi · March 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_last-names?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:1180693a-430d-4c01-bf7f-fc4ad1516516Post:3e8cb8f4-8461-468e-89be-ec7f83eeef7c">Re: last names</a>:
[QUOTE]One girl on my local board took his last name but kept hers so she legally has two last names (no hyphen.) So she is Sally Smith Jones. She can either be Sally Smith, Sally Jones, or Sally Smith Jones and all are perfectly legal. She said it was just as easy as any other option but gives her more flexibility (ie she can be Sally Jones in social situations but keep her maiden name and be Sally Smith professionally.) Supposedly it was really easy when she went to the Secretary of State she just wrote down both names without the hyphen. Oh and to answer the poll, I will be taking his name.
Posted by emarston1[/QUOTE]

I was not allowed to take my maidned name as my middle name without a court order, so I went with 2 last names no hyphen.

Honestly it's been kind of a PITA.. People are so confused. Sometimes I'm Lynda Smith, other times Lynda Jones, oh and my favorite Lynda Smithjones... yeah all mashed together with no space. American Airlines refuses to put a space. So all of my tickets have Smithjones. Because of that I can't just swipe a credit card to pull up my reservation at the kiosk because the machine is looking for Smilth Jones not smithjones.

As time goes on I find myself just using Lynda Jones.

squirrly · March 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_last-names?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:1180693a-430d-4c01-bf7f-fc4ad1516516Post:5a06cf5a-065b-4496-b301-c55ebc2e1e66">Re: last names</a>:
[QUOTE]Nope, I took Dh's completely. His last name is much easier to say/spell and is shorter.
Posted by katiewhompus[/QUOTE]

This. My maiden name is just going to disappear.

pooh8402 · March 2010

ditto with the disappearing maiden name. I never even knew that some people moved their maiden names to their middle (and dropped their middle names) until I met FMIL. the way I grew up, you took your husband's name completely.

it kinda bums my dad out though, because i don't have any brothers so there is no one to carry on the family name.

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