Photography: Erich McVey
If your name is your identity, then to take on a new name is like creating a whole new one, and that deserves some serious thoughts! Take the time to ponder about your thoughts in the name, your identity and what is important to you. It is, after all, your name and you are the only one who should decide what to do with it. Here are a few things we put together for you to ponder about before deciding to take (or don't take) his name:
To go with or against the tradition
It's an old tradition for a woman to take her husband's last name. Many people assume that traditionally a woman will change her last name to her husband's last name when she gets married. However, just because it's tradition, it doesn't mean that you can't decide against it. Yes, people might wonder why you decide to keep your father's name instead of taking on your husband's, but that shouldn't really concern you. It's your name and you have all the rights to do whatever you want with it.
Convenience or inconvenience
Some women keep their names because they have already established a good reputation with their birth names. Changing name creates an inconvenience. You may change your identification documents such as ID card, passport, driver's license, bank account, and many more. On the other hand, some women think it's more convenient to take on her husband's last name for the sake of convenience and to be referred to as a part of her new family.
Same or different surname from your children
If you decide to keep your father's name and let your children take your husband's name, the only challenge would be in explaining it to them. You wouldn't love them less just because you don't share the same surnames, so it's really not a big deal.
Being a part of the family
If you change your last name, you would feel more like a family with your husband and your children. It also symbolizes the journey you're embarking together. But to have the same last name with your husband's family or your in-laws, would make you one of them, while, at the same time, it would mean separating yourself from your family. It's only a symbol, but it's a bold gesture worth considering before you decide.
