View source for Maiden and married names

{{short description|Classes of surname}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
When a person (traditionally the wife in many cultures) assumes the [[Surname|family name]] of their [[spouse]], in some countries and cultures that name replaces the person's previous [[surname]], which in the case of the wife is called the '''maiden name''' ("[[birth name]]" is also used as a gender-neutral or masculine substitute for maiden name), whereas a '''married name''' is a family name or surname adopted upon marriage.

In some jurisdictions, [[Name change|changing names]] requires a legal process.  When people marry or divorce, the legal aspects of changing names may be simplified or included, so that the new name is established as part of the legal process of marrying or divorcing.  Traditionally, in the [[English-speaking world|Anglophone]] [[Western world|West]], women are far more likely to change their surnames upon marriage than men, but in some instances men may change their last names upon marriage as well, including [[same-sex marriage|same-sex couples]].<ref name=taking>{{cite news|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-03-20-names-marriage_N.htm|title=More men taking wives' last names|newspaper=[[USA Today]]|date=20 March 2007|access-date=6 March 2014}}</ref>

In this article, ''birth name'', ''family name'', ''surname'', ''married name'' and ''maiden name'' refer to [[Patronymic surname|patrilineal surnames]] unless explicitly described as referring to [[Matriname|matrilineal surnames]].

== Name changes upon marriage ==
Women changing their own last name after marriage encounter little difficulty in doing so when the opportunity is included in the legal process of marrying.<ref name="taking"/><ref name="name change">{{cite web|url=http://eznamechange.com/california-name-change-after-marriage|title=EZ Name Change for Adult, Child, or Family Residents of California!|access-date=6 February 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130812154713/http://eznamechange.com/california-name-change-after-marriage/|archive-date=12 August 2013}}</ref> Unless the statutes where the marriage occurred specify that a name change may occur at marriage (in which case the marriage certificate indicates the new name), courts following [[common law]] officially recognize it as the right of a person (man, woman, and sometimes child) to change their name. However, men encounter more difficulties in changing their last names.<ref name=lawsuit>{{cite web |url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070112/ap_on_re_us/take_my_wife_s_name|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070114123109/http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070112/ap_on_re_us/take_my_wife_s_name |title=Man files lawsuit to take wife's name|archive-date=14 January 2007}}</ref>

===Use husband's family name===
In the past, a woman in England usually assumed her new husband's family name (or surname) after marriage; often she was compelled to do so under [[coverture]] laws. Assuming the husband's surname remains common practice today in the United Kingdom (although there is no law that states the name must be changed) and in other countries such as [[Australia]], [[New Zealand]], [[Pakistan]], [[Gibraltar]], [[Falkland Islands]], [[India]], [[Philippines]], Canada (excluding Quebec), and the United States. Often there are variations of name adoption, including family name adoption. Usually, the children of these marriages are given their father's surname.

Some families (mainly in the US) have a custom of using the mother's maiden name as a [[middle name]] for one of the children—[[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]] received his middle name in this way,<ref>{{cite book|ref=Burns|last=Burns|first=James MacGregor|title='Roosevelt' (vol. 1)|year=1956|publisher=Easton Press|isbn=978-0-15-678870-0|url=https://archive.org/details/rooseveltliont00jame}}</ref> as did [[Isambard Kingdom Brunel]] in Britain. Some even use the mother's maiden name as a first name, such as [[Spessard Holland]], a former [[governor of Florida]] and former senator, whose mother's maiden name was Virginia Spessard.

===Use wife's family name===
[[Todd Fink]] (born Todd Baechle) and [[Jack White]] (born Jack Gillis) are examples of husbands who took their wife's name as their own.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harris |first=Kristen |date=2022-04-19 |title=11 Hollywood Men Who Broke Tradition And Took Their Wife's Last Name |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/kristenharris1/famous-men-took-wife-name |access-date=2025-12-11 |website=BuzzFeed |language=en}}</ref>

===Retain the birth name===
Women who keep their own surname after marriage may do so for a number of reasons:
* Objection to the one-sidedness of this tradition.<ref name=made>{{cite book|author-link =Dale Spender|last =Spender|first = Dale|title =Man-Made Language|orig-date =1980|pages = 24–25 |date = 1985|edition = 2nd |publisher =Routledge & Kegan Paul|isbn = 9780710206053}}</ref>
* Being the last member of their family with that surname.
* To avoid the hassle of paperwork related to their change of name.
* Wishing to retain their identity.
* Preferring their last name to their spouse's last name.
* To avoid professional ramifications.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Moss|first1=Gabrielle|title=Keeping Your Name After Marriage: 27 Women Talk About Why They Didn't Take Their Husband's Surnames|url=http://www.bustle.com/articles/76483-keeping-your-name-after-marriage-27-women-talk-about-why-they-didnt-take-their-husbands-surnames|website=Bustle|date=17 April 2015 |access-date=29 August 2015|ref=BustleMoss2015}}</ref>
* They simply see no reason to change their name, much like men often see no reason to change theirs.

==== Feminism ====
The feminist [[Lucy Stone]] (1818–1893) made a national issue of a married woman's right to keep her own surname (as she herself did upon marriage) as part of her efforts for women's rights in the U.S. Because of her, women who choose not to use their husbands' surnames have been called "Lucy Stoners".<ref name = Roiphe2004>{{cite web|work=Slate|date=24 March 2004|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2004/03/the_maiden_name_debate.html|last=Roiphe|first=Katie|author-link=Katie Roiphe|title=The Maiden Name Debate}}</ref> The feminist [[Elizabeth Cady Stanton]] took her husband's surname as part of her own, signing herself Elizabeth Cady Stanton or E. Cady Stanton, but she refused to be addressed as Mrs. Henry B. Stanton. She wrote in 1847 that "the custom of calling women Mrs. John This and Mrs. Tom That and colored men [[Sambo (racial term)|Sambo]] and Zip [[List of ethnic slurs|Coon]], is founded on the principle that white men are lords of all."<ref>Griffith, Elisabeth. ''In Her Own Right: The Life of Elizabeth Cady Stanton.'' Oxford University Press; New York, NY, 1985. {{ISBN|0-19-503729-4}}, p. xx (directly quoting Stanton)</ref><ref name="Olsen1994">{{cite book|author=Kirstin Olsen|title=Chronology of Women's History|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780313288036|url-access=registration|year=1994|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-28803-6|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780313288036/page/122 122]}}</ref> Later, when addressing the judiciary committee of the state legislature of New York in 1860 in a speech called "A Slave's Appeal", she stated in part, "The negro [slave] has no name. He is Cuffy Douglas or Cuffy Brooks, just whose Cuffy he may chance to be. The woman has no name. She is Mrs. Richard Roe or Mrs. John Doe, just whose Mrs. she may chance to be."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/wmn/wb/index.htm |title=The Woman's Bible Index |publisher=Sacred-texts.com |access-date=19 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.blackpast.org/1860-elizabeth-cady-stanton-slaves-appeal |title=(1860) Elizabeth Cady Stanton, "A Slave's Appeal" &#124; The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed |publisher=The Black Past |date=10 June 2010 |access-date=19 August 2018 |archive-date=19 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180819114358/http://www.blackpast.org/1860-elizabeth-cady-stanton-slaves-appeal |url-status=dead }}</ref> 
 
The feminist [[Jane Grant]], co-founder of ''[[The New Yorker]]'', wrote in 1943 of her efforts to keep her name despite her marriage, as well as other women's experiences with their maiden names regarding [[military]] service, passports, [[voting]], and [[Outline of business|business]]. More recently, the feminist [[Jill Filipovic]]'s opposition to name change for women who marry was published in ''The Guardian'' in 2013 as "Why should married women change their names? Let men change theirs", and cited as recommended reading on the theory of [[social construction of gender]] in ''Critical Encounters in Secondary English: Teaching Literacy Theory to Adolescents'' by Deborah Appleman (2014).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/mar/07/women-stop-changing-your-name-when-married |title=Why should married women change their names? Let men change theirs &#124; Jill Filipovic &#124; Opinion |journal=The Guardian |date= 7 March 2013|access-date=17 August 2018|last1=Filipovic |first1=Jill }}</ref><ref>Appleman, Deborah (2014), ''Critical Encounters in Secondary English: Teaching Literacy Theory to Adolescents'' (third ed.), p. 85, Teachers College Press, {{ISBN|9780807756232}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/may/02/feminism-trashing-shulamith-firestone |title=The tragic irony of feminists trashing each other &#124; Jill Filipovic &#124; Opinion |journal=The Guardian |date= 2 May 2013|access-date=6 August 2018|last1=Filipovic |first1=Jill }}</ref> When Filipovic married in 2018, she kept her last name.<ref name=marriage>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/04/fashion/weddings/jill-filipovic-ty-mccormick.html |title=Jill Filipovic, Ty McCormick – The New York Times |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=4 February 2018 |access-date=10 September 2018}}</ref><ref name=name>{{cite web|url=https://www.cosmopolitan.com/sex-love/a17194373/why-i-changed-my-mind-about-marriage/ |title=Why I Changed My Mind About Marriage |publisher=Cosmopolitan.com |date=13 February 2018}}</ref>

===Join both names (hyphenation)===
{{main|Double-barrelled name}}
It is less common for women, especially in the United States and Canada, to add their spouse's name and their own birth name.<ref name=taking /> There are examples of this, however, in U.S. senator [[Cindy Hyde-Smith]] and U.S. sitting congresswomen [[Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick]] and [[Mariannette Miller-Meeks]], as well as U.S. former congresswomen [[Lucille Roybal-Allard]], [[Ileana Ros-Lehtinen]], and [[Debbie Mucarsel-Powell]]. Former U.S. president [[Barack Obama]]'s only maternal half-sibling is [[Maya Soetoro-Ng]], formerly Maya Soetoro. [[Farrah Fawcett]] was known as Farrah Fawcett-Majors during her marriage to [[Lee Majors]] until their separation in 1979. Activist [[Ruby Doris Smith-Robinson]] was known as Ruby Doris Smith prior to her marriage.

===Name blending===
{{Main|Name blending}}

Although less common than name joining, a growing trend is the blending of two surnames upon marriage.<ref>Emma Barnett, "[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/9664227/Couples-fuse-surnames-in-new-trend-I-now-pronounce-you-Mr-and-Mrs-Puffin.html Couples fuse surnames in new trend: 'I now pronounce you Mr and Mrs Puffin']", ''The Telegraph'' (9 November 2012).</ref> This means adding ''parts'' of the two names. An example is [[Dawn O'Porter]] (from ''Porter'' and ''O'Dowd'').<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dawnoporter.co.uk/user/articles/irish-independent.pdf|title=I was never going to be Mrs O'Dowd|last=Milton|first=Stephen|date=27 April 2013|work=[[Irish Independent]]|publisher=[[Independent News & Media]]|access-date=8 May 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222193550/http://www.dawnoporter.co.uk/user/articles/irish-independent.pdf|archive-date=22 February 2014}}</ref>

===Birth name as middle name===
Examples include [[Amy Coney Barrett]], [[Maryanne Trump Barry]], [[Maud Gage Baum]], [[Shirley Temple|Shirley Temple Black]], [[Vera C. Bushfield|Vera Cahalan Bushfield]],<ref>{{cite book|title=Women in Congress, 1917–2006|date=2006|publisher=[[United States Government Publishing Office|U.S. Government Printing Office]]|location=Washington, D.C.|isbn=9780160767531|page=[https://archive.org/details/womenincongress100wasn/page/263 263] |url=https://archive.org/details/womenincongress100wasn|access-date=25 April 2018|via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref> [[Marguerite S. Church|Marguerite Stitt Church]],<ref>{{cite book|title=Women in Congress, 1917–2006|date=2006|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|location=Washington, D.C.|isbn=9780160767531|page=[https://archive.org/details/womenincongress100wasn/page/284 284]|url=https://archive.org/details/womenincongress100wasn|access-date=25 April 2018|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> [[Bonnie Watson Coleman]], [[Cindy Parlow Cone]], [[Hillary Clinton|Hillary Rodham Clinton]] (dropped maiden name in 2007),<ref>[http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/world/hillary-drops-her-maiden-name/2007/04/30/1177788007743.html "Hillary Drops Her Maiden Name"], ''The [[Brisbane Times]]'', 30 April 2007. Retrieved 31 August 2008.</ref> [[Ruth Bader Ginsburg]], [[Marjorie Taylor Greene]], [[Katherine G. Langley|Katherine Gudger Langley]],<ref>{{cite book|title=Women in Congress, 1917–2006|date=2006|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|location=Washington, D.C. |isbn=9780160767531|page=[https://archive.org/details/womenincongress100wasn/page/76 76]|url=https://archive.org/details/womenincongress100wasn|access-date=25 April 2018 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> [[Ruth Hanna McCormick]],<ref>{{cite book|title=Women in Congress, 1917–2006 |date=2006|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|location=Washington, D.C.|isbn=9780160767531|page=[https://archive.org/details/womenincongress100wasn/page/84 84] |url=https://archive.org/details/womenincongress100wasn|access-date=25 April 2018|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> [[Nelle Wilson Reagan]], [[Edith Nourse Rogers]],<ref>{{cite book|title=Women in Congress, 1917–2006|date=2006 |location=Washington, D.C.|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|isbn=9780160767531|page=[https://archive.org/details/womenincongress100wasn/page/70 70] |url=https://archive.org/details/womenincongress100wasn|access-date=25 April 2018|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> [[Sarah Huckabee Sanders]], [[Margaret Chase Smith]],<ref>{{cite book|title=Women in Congress, 1917–2006|date=2006|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |location=Washington, D.C.|isbn=9780160767531|page=[https://archive.org/details/womenincongress100wasn/page/196 196]|url=https://archive.org/details/womenincongress100wasn|access-date=25 April 2018 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> and [[Jada Pinkett Smith]]. During their respective marriages, [[Kim Kardashian]] and [[Robin Wright]] were known as Kim Kardashian West (from [[Kanye West]]) and Robin Wright Penn (from [[Sean Penn]]). Politician [[Nikki Haley]] is sometimes referred to as Nikki R. Haley; the "R" stands for Randhawa, her birth surname.

=== Spouse's surname as middle name ===
Examples include [[Brooklyn Beckham|Brooklyn Peltz Beckham]] and [[John Lennon|John Ono Lennon]] (wife's name) and [[Marie Gluesenkamp Perez]] (husband's name). When British author [[Neil Gaiman]] married American musician [[Amanda Palmer]], he added his wife's middle name to his, becoming Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman.<ref>{{Cite web |date=14 January 2011 |title="Wedding: Palmer — Gaiman" |url=http://www.wickedlocal.com/lexington/newsnow/x1799249805/Wedding-Palmer-Gaiman |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012070003/http://www.wickedlocal.com/lexington/newsnow/x1799249805/Wedding-Palmer-Gaiman |archive-date=12 October 2013}}</ref>

=== New name ===
Some couples will create an entirely new surname for themselves upon marriage, with no ties to either's original surname. This practice is less common than name blending.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Weiss |first1=Suzannah |title=Creating a Name for Themselves |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/fashion/weddings/name-change-after-marriage-not-always-easy.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=3 March 2024}}</ref>

== North America ==
=== Canada ===
{{Main|Canadian name}}

In most of Canada, either partner may informally assume the spouse's surname after marriage, so long as it is not for the purposes of fraud. The same is true for people in [[Common-law marriage|common-law relationships]], in some provinces. This is not considered a legal name change in most provinces, excluding British Columbia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/life-events/legal-changes-of-name/legal-change-of-name-application#after_marriage|title=Legal Change of Name Application – Province of British Columbia|website=www2.gov.bc.ca|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160128121222/http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/life-events/legal-changes-of-name/legal-change-of-name-application#after_marriage|archive-date=28 January 2016|url-status=dead|access-date=15 December 2017}}</ref> For federal purposes, such as a Canadian [[passport]], Canadians may also assume their partner's surname if they are in a common-law relationship.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ppt.gc.ca/info/section1.aspx?lang=eng |title=Personal information - Passport Canada |access-date=10 March 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130331150305/http://www.ppt.gc.ca/info/section1.aspx?lang=eng |archive-date=31 March 2013 }}</ref> In the province of British Columbia, people have to undergo a legal name change if they want to use a combined surname after marriage.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vs.gov.bc.ca/marriage/|title=Birth, Adoption, Death, Marriage & Divorce – Province of British Columbia|website=www.vs.gov.bc.ca|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010430005245/http://www.vs.gov.bc.ca/marriage/|archive-date=30 April 2001|url-status=dead|access-date=15 December 2017}}</ref> Their marriage certificate is considered proof of their new name.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.ontario.ca/en/information_bundle/individuals/119599.html| title = Official government ID and certificates {{!}} ontario.ca}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/sin/before-applying.html|title=Social Insurance Number – What you need before you start|publisher=Employment and Social Development Canada|date=13 June 2016 }}</ref>

The custom in Québec was similar to the one [[Married and maiden names#France|in France]] until 1981. Women would traditionally go by their husband's surname in daily life, but their maiden name remained their legal name.<ref>[https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1880/08/10/106232934.pdf Gleanings from the mails; Maiden names. How an old Québec law annoys married women, lawyers, and tax-collectors], from the ''Montreal Witness'', reprinted by ''The New York Times'', 10 August 1880. Retrieved 1 April 2008.</ref> Since the passage of a 1981 provincial law intended to promote gender equality, as outlined in the [[Québec Charter of Rights]], no change may be made to a person's name without the authorization of the registrar of civil status or the authorization of the court. Married individuals who wish to change their names upon marriage must therefore go through the same procedure as those changing their names for other reasons. The registrar of civil status may authorize a name change if:

#the name the person generally uses does not correspond to the name on their birth certificate,
#the name is of foreign origin or too difficult to pronounce or write in its original form, or 
#the name invites ridicule or has become infamous.<ref>[http://www.canlii.org/qc/laws/sta/ccq/20080314/whole.html Civil Code of Québec] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090109002437/http://www.canlii.org/qc/laws/sta/ccq/20080314/whole.html|date=9 January 2009}}, 14 March 2008. Retrieved 3 April 2008.</ref>

Marriage by itself is not considered to be an acceptable reason for a legal name change and a person may be required to show documentation that keeping their maiden name would cause psychological harm. This law has been criticized as taking away a woman's choice in choosing her name.<ref>{{cite web |title=Hey Quebec, it's 2017, let me choose my name |url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/the180/stop-funding-catholic-schools-restore-trust-in-the-neb-and-let-me-change-my-name-1.4162978/hey-quebec-it-s-2017-let-me-choose-my-name-1.4163025 |website=CBC Radio |access-date=1 July 2025|date=June 16, 2017}}</ref> Women married outside of Quebec are also expected to use their birth name as their legal name if they reside in the province.<ref>{{cite web |title=Married name |url=https://www.quebec.ca/en/famille-et-soutien-aux-personnes/couple-famille/mariage-union-civile-ou-union-de-fait/marriage/married-name |website=Quebec.ca |access-date=1 July 2025}}</ref>

=== United States ===
There were some early cases in the United States that held that under [[common law]], a woman was required to take her husband's name,<ref>Stannard, Una (1977). ''Mrs. Man'' GermainBooks, San Francisco. {{ISBN|0-914142-02-X}}, pp. 239–277.</ref> but newer cases overturned that (see "Retain the birth name" above).<ref>Stannard, Una (1977). ''Mrs Man''. GermainBooks, San Francisco. {{ISBN|0-914142-02-X}}, pp. 277–282.</ref> Currently, American women do not have to change their names by law.<ref name="Gorence 1976">{{cite web|title=Women's Name Rights|last=Gorence|first=Patricia|date=1976|website=scholarship.law|url=http://scholarship.law.marquette.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2239&context=mulr}}</ref> ''[[Lindon v. First National Bank]]'', 10 F. 894 (W.D. Pa. 1882), is one of the very earliest precedent-setting [[Federal judiciary of the United States|US federal court]] cases involving [[common law]] [[name change]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bander|first1=Edward|title=Change of name and law of names|date=1 January 1973|publisher=Oceana Publications|isbn=9780379110883|pages=37–38|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i1FUGhM98eAC&q=10+F.+894+name+change|access-date=31 October 2017}}</ref> A woman who had changed her last name to one that was not her husband's original surname was trying to claim control over her [[inheritance]]. The court ruled in her favor. This set forth many things. By common law, one may lawfully change their name and be "known and recognized" by that new name. Also, one may enter into any kinds of contracts in their new adopted name. Contracts include employment (see ''[[Coppage v. Kansas]]'' 236 U.S. 1), and one can be recognized legally in court in their new name. In 1967 in ''Erie Exchange v. Lane'', 246 Md. 55 (1967) the Maryland Court of Appeals held that a married woman can lawfully adopt an assumed name, even if it is not her birth name or the name of her lawful husband, without legal proceedings.<ref name="justia1976">{{cite web | url=https://law.justia.com/cases/maryland/court-of-special-appeals/1976/511-september-term-1975-0.html | title=Hall v. Hall}}</ref> In the United States, only eight states provide for an official name change for a man as part of their marriage process,{{Citation needed|date=October 2025}} and in others a man may petition a court or—where not prohibited—change his name without a legal procedure (though government agencies sometimes do not recognize this procedure). The practice remains popular in the 21st century. According to a Pew Research Center survey published in September 2023, nearly 4 out of every 5 women in heterosexual marriages in the United States changed their last names to those of their husbands. On the other hand, 92% of all men in these marriages kept their last names.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About eight-in-ten women in opposite-sex marriages say they took their husband's last name |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/09/07/about-eight-in-ten-women-in-opposite-sex-marriages-say-they-took-their-husbands-last-name/ |access-date=2023-09-17 |website=Pew Research Center |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2007, Michael Buday and Diana Bijon enlisted the [[American Civil Liberties Union]] and filed a discrimination lawsuit against the state of [[California]]. According to the ACLU, the obstacles facing a husband who wishes to adopt his wife's last name violated the equal protection clause provided by the 14th Amendment of the Constitution.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=277893|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090423155150/https://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=277893|url-status=dead|title=ABC News: ABC News|website = [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]|archive-date=23 April 2009}}</ref> At the time of the lawsuit, only the states of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], [[Hawaii]], [[Iowa]], [[Massachusetts]], [[New York (state)|New York]] and [[North Dakota]] explicitly allowed a man to change his name through marriage with the same ease as a woman. As a result of the lawsuit, the ''Name Equality Act of 2007'' was passed to allow either spouse to change their name, using their marriage license as the means of the change; the law took effect in 2009.<ref name=lawsuit /><ref name=NameEqualityAct>{{cite web|title=The Name Equality Act of 2007|url=https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CHSI/CDPH%20Document%20Library/CHSI-The-Name-Equality-Actof2007-4-2017.pdf|website=California Department of Public Health|access-date=15 December 2017|date=January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171215110936/https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CHSI/CDPH%20Document%20Library/CHSI-The-Name-Equality-Actof2007-4-2017.pdf|archive-date=15 December 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In the United States, some states or areas have laws that restrict what surname a child may have. For example, [[Tennessee]] allows a child to be given a surname that does not include that of the father only upon "the concurrent submission of a sworn application to that effect signed by both parents."<ref>[http://www.state.tn.us/tccy/tnchild/68/68-3-305.htm Tennessee State Code. Title 68. Chapter 3. Part 3. 68-3-305.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121118070230/http://www.state.tn.us/tccy/tnchild/68/68-3-305.htm|date=18 November 2012}} Father's name on birth certificate. -Surname of child.</ref>

In [[Massachusetts]], a [[Claudia Goldin|Harvard study]] in 2004 found that about 87% of college-educated women take their husbands' name on marriage, down from a peak before 1975 of over 90%, but up from about 80% in 1990. The same study found women with a college degree were "two to four times (depending on age) more likely to retain their surname" than those without a college degree.<ref>{{cite journal | author=Claudia Goldin | author-link=Claudia Goldin | author2=Maria Shim | url=http://scholar.harvard.edu/goldin/files/making_a_name_womens_surnames_at_marriage_and_beyond.pdf | title=Making a Name: Women's Surnames at Marriage and Beyond] | journal=Journal of Economic Perspectives | archive-date=8 August 2017 | access-date=14 March 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808140702/https://scholar.harvard.edu/goldin/files/making_a_name_womens_surnames_at_marriage_and_beyond.pdf | url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== Mexico ===
Following Latin American tradition, children are typically given a surname that combines the paternal surnames of their parents. In 2017, a child took their parents maternal surnames and was the first person to be legally allowed to do so.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mexico allows baby to be registered with maternal surnames for first time |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jan/04/mexico-allows-baby-to-be-registered-with-maternal-surnames-for-first-time |website=The Guardian |publisher=Associated Press |access-date=1 July 2025 |date=January 4, 2017}}</ref>

== Europe ==
===Austria===
In [[Austria]], since 1 April 2013, marriage does not automatically change a woman's name; therefore a name change can only take place upon legal application. Before that date, the default was for a married woman's name to be changed to that of her husband, unless she legally applied to opt out of this.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bmeia.gv.at/en/embassy/london/practical-advice/consular-services/change-of-name.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141101163617/http://www.bmeia.gv.at/en/embassy/london/practical-advice/consular-services/change-of-name.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 November 2014 |title=Österreichische Botschaft London| publisher=Austrian Embassy London }}</ref>

===France===
In [[France]], by executive decision since 2011<ref>[http://www.senat.fr/questions/base/2012/qSEQ121002756.html Answer] by the [[Minister of the Interior (France)|Ministry of the Interior]] to a question about the usage by married men of their wife's name</ref> and by law since 2013,<ref>[https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichCodeArticle.do?idArticle=LEGIARTI000027416921&cidTexte=LEGITEXT000006070721&dateTexte=20190104 Article 225-1] of the [[French Civil Code|Civil Code]]</ref> any married person may officially use their spouse's name as a common name by substituting or compounding it to their own. Before this it was common for married women to use their husband's name in everyday life, but this had no legal recognition.

A common name does not replace a person's family name as written on their birth certificate.

From 4 March 2002 to 4 December 2009, children given both parents' names had to have them separated by a double dash (ex: Dupont<nowiki>--</nowiki>Clairemont). On 4 December 2009, the [[Council of State (France)|Conseil d'État]] ruled that a space can be used instead of the double dash. As a result, forms asking for the choice of family name for a child (''nom de famille'') do so on two lines ("''1ère partie'': ..... ", "''2e partie'': ....")<ref>{{cite web |url=http://consulfrance-toronto.org/spip.php?article1731 |title=Déclaration de choix de nom – Consulat général de France à Toronto |publisher=Consulfrance-toronto.org |access-date=6 August 2018 |archive-date=2 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102124033/http://consulfrance-toronto.org/spip.php?article1731 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Germany===
In [[Germany]], since 1977, a woman may adopt her husband's surname or a man may adopt his wife's surname. As an alternative, one of them may adopt a name combined from both surnames; the remaining unchanged surname is the "family name" (''Ehename''), which will be the surname of the children. If a man and woman both decide to keep and use their birth names after the wedding (no combined name), they shall declare one of those names the "family name". A combined name is not possible as a family name, but, since 2005, it has been possible to have a double name as a family name if one already had a double name, and the partner adopts that name. Double names then must be hyphenated. All family members must use that double name.<ref>[http://bundesrecht.juris.de/bgb/__1355.html BGB – Einzelnorm] (''article in German'')</ref><ref>[http://www.frag-einen-anwalt.de/Doppelname-als-Familienname__f25495.html Doppelname als Familienname] (''article in German'')</ref>
In 2025 true double names became legal for spouses as well as the possibility to have children bearing a double name whereas parents retain their birth names
<ref>[https://www.heuking.de/de/news-events/newsletter-fachbeitraege/artikel/reform-des-namensrechts-2025-die-wichtigsten-aenderungen-im-ueberblick.html Neues Namensrecht] (''article in German'')</ref>

===Greece===
Since 1983, when [[Greece]] adopted a new [[marriage law]] which guaranteed [[gender equality]] between the spouses,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/01/26/world/around-the-world-greece-approves-family-law-changes.html|title=Greece Approves Family Law Changes|date=26 January 1983|work=The New York Times|access-date=15 December 2017|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> women in Greece are required to ''keep'' their birth names for their whole lives.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/06/women-change-name-after-marriage-greece|title=Should women change their names after marriage? Ask a Greek woman|last=Long|first=Heather|date=6 October 2013|work=The Guardian|access-date=15 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131006115711/http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/06/women-change-name-after-marriage-greece|archive-date=6 October 2013|url-status=dead|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

===Iceland===
In Iceland, women retain their birth surnames, which are typically patronymic or occasionally matronymic: they indicate the woman's father (or mother) and not a historic family lineage. Iceland shares a common cultural heritage with the Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Unlike these countries, Icelanders have continued to use their traditional name system, which was formerly used in most of Northern Europe. The Icelandic system is thus not based on family names (although some people do have family names and might use both systems). Generally, a woman's last name indicates the first name of her father (patronymic) or in some cases mother (matronymic) in the genitive, followed by -dóttir ("daughter").  Icelanders, male and female, are not addressed using surnames, but first names. For example, the Icelandic prime minister 
[[Kristrún Mjöll Frostadóttir]], though married, is referred to as Kristrún.

===Italy===
Spouses keep their original surnames. According to the Italian Civil Code (article 143 bis), a woman who marries keeps her surname and has the option of adding her husband's surname after hers. Non-Italian citizens getting married in Italy will not have their surname changed in Italy. However, brides or grooms can request their surname change in their home country.<ref>{{cite web|title=Name change by effect of a marriage in Italy|url=https://www.weddingintuscany.info/blog/name-change-afterwedding-in-italy/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130413010149/http://www.weddingintuscany.info/blog/2013/03/name-change-afterwedding-in-italy/|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 April 2013|work=wedding in Italy|access-date=6 March 2013}}</ref>

===Netherlands===
In the [[Netherlands]], persons who have been married in the Netherlands or entered into a registered partnership will remain registered under their birth name. They are, however, permitted to use their partner's last name for social purposes or join both names. Upon marriage or registered partnership, one may also indicate how one would like to be addressed by registering one's choice at the Municipal Basis Administration (Basisregistratie Personen), although their birth name does not change. One may choose to be called by one's own name, one's partner's name, one's own name followed by one's partner's name (hyphenated), or one's partner's name followed by their own name (hyphenated; this was the prevailing convention up to very recently. In this case the maiden name following the hyphen only uses a capital if it is a noun; if it is an [[affix]] like ''van'' or ''de'' the affix remains uncapitalized; this is an exception to the general rule for surnames that are capitalized when standing alone<ref>{{cite web|url=https://woordenlijst.org/leidraad/16/2|title=Persoonsnamen|publisher=[[Dutch Language Union|Nederlandse Taalunie]]|access-date=10 February 2023|language=nl}}</ref>). Both men and women may make this choice upon registering to get married or entering into a registered partnership. If the marriage or registered partnership ends, one may continue to use the ex-partner's last surname unless the ex-partner disagrees and requests the court to forbid the use of the ex-partner's surname.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/naamrecht/vraag-en-antwoord/wanneer-mag-ik-de-achternaam-van-mijn-partner-gebruiken.html |title=Wanneer mag ik de achternaam van mijn partner gebruiken? |publisher=Rijksoverheid.nl |date=1 June 2010|language=nl}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>

Before the birth or adoption of a first child, married parents or parents in a registered partnership may choose the child's surname. This can be either the father's name, the mother's name or both.<ref>{cite: https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/aangifte-geboorte-en-naamskeuze-kind/vraag-en-antwoord/mag-ik-mijn-kind-2-achternamen-geven}{{Dead link|date=June 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> There is a maximum of two last names, so children of people with double last names AB and CD have to choose between either of those names (AB or CD), or a combination of these names (AC, CA, AD, DA, BC, CB, BD, DB), but not only one part (A, B, C or D) or reverse of current names (BA or DC). If no choice is made, the child automatically bears (only) the father's surname. Any further children will also go by this name. If the parents are not married, the children will automatically have their mother's name unless otherwise indicated.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten-en-publicaties/publicaties-pb51/de-keuze-van-de-achternaam.html |title=De keuze van de achternaam |publisher=Rijksoverheid.nl |date=24 June 2009 |access-date=29 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511084410/https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten-en-publicaties/publicaties-pb51/de-keuze-van-de-achternaam.html|language=nl |archive-date=11 May 2011}}</ref>

=== Portugal ===
Wives usually append the family name of their spouse to their legal name, although there is a recent trend of women keeping their maiden names.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://vejasp.abril.com.br/cidades/homens-adotam-sobrenome-mulheres/ | title=Cresce número de casadas que rejeitam o sobrenome do parceiro}}</ref> Following [[Portuguese name|Portuguese naming customs]], a person's name consists of a [[given name]] (simple or composite) followed by two family names (surnames), the mother's and the father's. Any children whom a couple have together, take both second-surnames.

===Russia===
There is a widespread, though not universal, custom for a newly married wife to adopt the husband's family name. However, as Russia is not a common law country, any name change requires a formal procedure including an official application to the [[Civil registry|civil acts registrar]]. As the same registrar also records marriages, for the convenience sake it is often done during the marriage proceedings, as governed by the Federal Law #143-FZ "On Civil State Acts", and the couple's marriage certificate has an option of having one common family name, or both spouses going by their original surname. However, the law is entirely gender neutral, and the couple may adopt either of their surnames (a husband adopting his wife's family name is an uncommon but by no means unheard-of practice, which is generally accepted and carries little to no social stigma), or even a completely different one. The law also recognizes the couple's right to use the combined family name, and for the either of the spouses to reclaim their original surname in the case the marriage is dissolved.

=== Scotland ===
In the lowlands of Scotland in the 16th century, married women did not change their surnames, but today it is common practice to do so.<ref>{{cite web|last=Krossa|first=Sharon L.|url=http://medievalscotland.org/scotnames/lowland16/|title=Early 16th Century Scottish Lowland Names|publisher=Medievalscotland.org|access-date=29 July 2010}}</ref>

=== Spain ===
Spouses have always kept their original surnames. Following [[Spanish naming customs]], a person's name consists of a [[given name]] (simple or composite) followed by two family names (surnames), the father's and the mother's. Any children whom a couple have together take both first-surnames, so if "José Gómez Hevia" and "María Reyes García" had a child named "Andrés", the resulting name would be "Andrés Gómez Reyes".

Law 11/1981 in [[Spain]], enacted in 1981, declared among other things that children, on turning 18, now had a legal option to choose whether their father's or mother's surname came first. If a family did not exercise an option to change the order of the names in their surname, the law defaulted to the father's surname as the first.<ref name=":14">{{Cite book|last=Zubiaur|first=Leire Imaz|chapter=La superación de la incapacidad de gestionar el propio patrimonio por parte de la mujer casada|chapter-url=https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=2874645|title=Mujeres y Derecho, Pasado y Presente: I Congreso multidisciplinar de Centro-Sección de Bizkaia de la Facultad de Derecho |year=2008 |isbn=978-84-9860-157-2 |publisher=Universidad del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea|pages=69–82}}</ref>

Also in Spain, a 1995 reform in the law allows the parents to choose whether the father's or the mother's surname goes first, although this order must be the same for all their children. For instance, the name of the son of the couple in the example above could be "Andrés Gómez Reyes" or "Andrés Reyes Gómez".<ref>[http://noticias.juridicas.com/index.php?doc=http%3A//noticias.juridicas.com/base_datos/Privado/lrc.html ''Art. 55 Ley de Registro Civil'' – Civil Register Law] (article in Spanish)</ref>

In some Spanish-American countries it is customary for women to unofficially add the husband's first surname after her own, for social purposes such as invitation letters or event announcements. The couple above may introduce themselves as José Gómez Hevia and María Reyes de Gómez. It is also common to name, in formal settings, the wife of a man as "señora de", followed by her husband's first surname.

===Turkey===
Since 2014, women in [[Turkey]] are allowed to keep their birth names alone for their whole life instead of using their husbands' names.<ref>{{cite web|title=Married Women in Turkey may use their maiden name without husband's surname hereinafter|url=http://www.turkeylawconsulting.com/corporate-individuals-law/married-women-in-turkey-may-use-their-maiden-name-without-husbands-surname-hereinafter/|work=Birthname usage in Turkey|access-date=24 February 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20160327064700/http://www.turkeylawconsulting.com/corporate-individuals-law/married-women-in-turkey-may-use-their-maiden-name-without-husbands-surname-hereinafter/|archive-date=27 March 2016}}</ref> Previously, the Turkish Code of Civil Law, Article 187, required a married woman to use her husband's surname; or else to use her birth name in front of her husband's name by giving a written application to the marriage officer or the civil registry office. In 2014, the Constitutional Court ruled that prohibiting married women from retaining only maiden names is a violation of their rights.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/prohibiting-married-women-from-retaining-only-maiden-names-a-violation-top-court-60734|title=Prohibiting married women from retaining only maiden names a violation: Top court|date=8 January 2014|website=Hürriyet Daily News|access-date=15 December 2017}}</ref>

==Asia==
===China===
Traditionally, unlike in Anglophone Western countries, a married woman keeps her name unchanged, without adopting her husband's surname.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Tatlow|first1=Didi|title=For Chinese Women, a Surname Is Her Name|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/12/world/asia/china-women-surnames.html|website=New York Times|date=11 November 2016 |access-date=12 August 2017}}</ref> In [[mainland China]] a child inherits their father's surname as a norm, though the marriage law explicitly states that a child may use either parent's surname. It is also common for two children born to the same parents to take different surnames, one after the father and the other after the mother. It is also possible, though far less common, for a child to combine both parents' surnames. Amongst the Chinese diaspora overseas, especially in Southeast Asia, women rarely legally adopt their spouse's surname.

===Hong Kong===
Due to British influence, some people in [[Hong Kong]] have also adopted the tradition of women changing their English last name, or prepending their husband's Chinese surname to their own in official occasions or business cards but rarely on resident identification or travel documents. An example is former chief executive [[Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor]], who prepended her husband [[Lam Siu-por]]'s surname to hers.

===Iran===
It became mandatory in 1918 to use surnames in Iran, and only in this time, the heads of families had the right to choose their family members' (including the wife) surname. It is stated in the article four of the law on Civil Registration in 1925, that "Everybody should choose his/her own name. The wife... maintains her family name that was called by." The same thing has been restated in the article three of the law on Civil Registration in 1928. There is not much difference in the article 38 of the law on Civil Registration in 1940, but there is another article (43) that says "If the couple separate legally, maintaining husband's surname is allowed if the husband allows, and if the husband has taken wife's family name, maintaining wife's surname is allowed if the wife allows." In the last related article (the article 42 of the law on Civil Registration in 1976) the same thing is said about wife's surname change, but it is silent about husband's surname change.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Adopting the Spouse's Surname After Marriage in Iranian and American Legal Systems|issue=62|pages=77–94|url=http://familylawandjurisprudence.isuw.ac.ir/article_14401.html|date=22 May 2015|journal=فقه و حقوق خانواده (ندای صادق)|volume=20|access-date=7 October 2018|last1=فراهانی|first1=سید جواد|last2=میرشکاری|first2=عباس|archive-date=7 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181007223639/http://familylawandjurisprudence.isuw.ac.ir/article_14401.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>[http://familylawandjurisprudence.isuw.ac.ir/article_14401_c87ab577e6506dd5c8ec4f0c439ec4ed.pdf Adopting the Spouse's Surname After Marriage in Iranian and American Legal Systems] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180508112425/http://familylawandjurisprudence.isuw.ac.ir/article_14401_c87ab577e6506dd5c8ec4f0c439ec4ed.pdf |date=8 May 2018 }} by Abbas Mirshekari and Javad Farahani, Biannual Journal of Family Law and Jurisprudence. (''article in Persian'')</ref>
Currently, it is very unusual that either spouse change his/her surname after marriage in Iran.

===Japan===
Japanese law does not recognize married couples who have different surnames as lawful husband and wife.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ja.wikibooks.org/wiki/%E6%B0%91%E6%B3%95%E7%AC%AC750%E6%9D%A1 |title=民法第750条 |publisher=Wikibooks |language=ja |access-date=22 September 2025}}</ref> According to 2019 data, 95.5% of women took their husband's surname upon marriage.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.moj.go.jp/MINJI/minji36.html#Q4 |title=戸籍の氏名（姓・名）の変更について |publisher=Ministry of Justice |language=ja |access-date=22 September 2025}}</ref> The constitutionality of this law has been challenged in court.

In a 2015 ruling, and again in a 2021 ruling, the plaintiffs argued that forcing couples to share a surname violates the constitution, specifically the principles of individual dignity and gender equality, as the burden of changing a name disproportionately falls on women, causing a loss of identity.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.courts.go.jp/app/files/hanrei_jp/546/085546_hanrei.pdf |title=平成27年12月16日大法廷判決 |publisher=Supreme Court of Japan |date=16 December 2015 |language=ja |access-date=22 September 2025 |format=pdf}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.courts.go.jp/app/files/hanrei_jp/412/090412_hanrei.pdf |title=令和3年6月23日大法廷決定 |publisher=Supreme Court of Japan |date=23 June 2021 |language=ja |access-date=22 September 2025 |format=pdf}}</ref>

However, the Supreme Court of Japan has twice upheld the law, ruling it constitutional. In both the 2015 and 2021 decisions, the Court stated that the single-surname system is well-established in Japanese society and is a rational way to identify family members. The Court also noted that any disadvantages from a name change are mitigated by the widespread informal use of maiden names, and concluded that the issue of allowing separate spousal names is a matter for the Diet (Japan's parliament) to decide, not the judiciary.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.courts.go.jp/app/files/hanrei_jp/546/085546_hanrei.pdf |title=平成27年12月16日大法廷判決 |publisher=Supreme Court of Japan |date=16 December 2015 |language=ja |access-date=22 September 2025 |format=pdf}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.courts.go.jp/app/files/hanrei_jp/412/090412_hanrei.pdf |title=令和3年6月23日大法廷決定 |publisher=Supreme Court of Japan |date=23 June 2021 |language=ja |access-date=22 September 2025 |format=pdf}}</ref>

Legal challenges continued in 2024. In March, on [[International Women's Day]], a total of twelve plaintiffs (six couples) filed lawsuits against the government in both the Tokyo and Sapporo district courts.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASS385FLFS38UTIL00M.html |title=「夫婦別姓」求め、男女12人が国を提訴 「婚姻の自由を侵害」 |publisher=The Asahi Shimbun |date=8 March 2024 |language=ja |access-date=23 September 2025}}</ref> The plaintiffs are seeking damages, arguing that "the current situation, where one party must abandon their surname to marry, harms individual dignity."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20241021/k10014615131000.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241021093139/https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20241021/k10014615131000.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 October 2024 |title=“夫婦別姓認めずは憲法違反” 国に賠償求める裁判始まる 札幌 |publisher=NHK |date=21 October 2024 |language=ja |access-date=22 September 2025}}</ref>

The issue has also drawn international scrutiny. In November 2024, the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) urged the Japanese government to revise the Civil Code to allow married couples to choose separate surnames. The committee expressed deep concern that the current system is discriminatory and disproportionately impacts women, recommending that Japan "ensure that women and men can choose their family name upon marriage without any constraints or discrimination."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15487493 |title=U.N. panel urges Japan to allow married couples to have different surnames |publisher=The Asahi Shimbun |date=3 November 2024 |access-date=22 September 2025}}</ref>

In Japan, women who marry and take their husband’s surname — as well as the very small number of men who take their wife’s surname (such as the husband of current PM [[Sanae Takaichi]] for example) — may continue to use their former surname alongside their legal surname on identity documents such as driver’s licenses, health insurance cards, My Number cards, and passports, by presenting documents that prove their maiden or former name, such as an extract from the family register, a birth registration record, or a copy of their residence certificate showing their previous surname.

For example, if a woman whose surname was Hayashi marries a man named Tagawa and takes his surname, her passport may list her surname as TAGAWA (HAYASHI).

=== North Korea and South Korea ===
{{One source|section|date=February 2024}}
Traditionally, Korean women keep their family names after their marriage, while their children usually take the father's surname. Korea used to be relatively gender equal as of inheritance and familial duties up until at least the late 17th century.{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}} Often, family genealogy books would keep track of the daughters and their spouses and offspring too. As such, it was the norm for women to keep their maiden name and they were considered to be part of the family even after marriage. Before modern times, people were very conscious of familial values and their own family identities. It is therefore traditional for Korean women keep their surnames after marriage, based on traditional reasoning that it is what they inherited from their parents and ancestors.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Caprio|first=Mark E.|date=10 February 2017|title=Rationalizing Korea: The Rise of the Modern State, 1895–1945 by Kyung Moon Hwang (review)|url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/648344|journal=Journal of Interdisciplinary History|language=en|volume=47|issue=4|pages=576–578|issn=1530-9169|doi=10.1162/JINH_r_01079|s2cid=195825963|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Colloquially, Koreans consider the name of an individual as a singular entity, and changing the family name syllable would make the name sound strange with the other syllables of the given name.

Nowadays, women still keep their names after marriage. Children can have either parent's surname, but it is customary to use the father's surname.

===Philippines===
{{Main|Filipino name#Maiden and married names}}

Article 370 of the [[Civil Code of the Philippines|Civil Code]] states:{{Blockquote
|text=A married woman may use:<br />(1) Her maiden first name and surname and add her husband’s surname, or<br />(2) Her maiden first name and her husband’s surname, or<br />(3) Her husband’s full name, but prefixing a word indicating that she is his wife, such as “Mrs.”
<ref>{{cite act|title=Civil Code of the Philippines|type=Republic Act|number=386|article=XIII: Use of Surnames|articletype=Title|date=18 June 1949|url=http://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1949/06/18/republic-act-no-386/}} {{Cite web |url=https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1949/06/18/republic-act-no-386/ |title=Republic Act No. 386 &#124; Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines |access-date=9 November 2023 |archive-date=8 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220508160939/https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1949/06/18/republic-act-no-386/ |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref>}}

The usage of the word “may” implies that a woman can retain her maiden name without adding her husband's, and Articles 371 and 372 explicitly state that a woman may resume using her original name upon legal separation or exercise the option to continue using the husband's name unless either the court decrees otherwise or either spouse remarries. The [[Supreme Court of the Philippines|Supreme Court]] ruling  ''Yasin v. Sharia Court'' reiterated this, noting [[Arturo Tolentino]]'s commentary that usage of “may” indicates a permissive action.<ref>{{cite web |title=G.R. No. 94986 |url=https://lawphil.net/judjuris/juri1995/feb1995/gr_94986_1995.html |website=lawphil.net |access-date=1 January 2025}}</ref> Nevertheless, this caused confusion among some people, leading them to believe that the Civil Code required women to change their surnames, when it wasn't actually the case.<ref name="Pilar">{{cite web |title=Yes, Pilar, you don't have to use Pepe's name after marriage |url=https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1522568/yes-pilar-you-dont-have-to-use-pepes-name-after-marriage |access-date=23 January 2023 |date=2 December 2021}}</ref> On 21 March 2023, the [[House of Representatives of the Philippines|House of Representatives]] passed a bill to revise the Civil Code to explicitly declare that a woman can keep her surname.<ref name="Pilar" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Lower House grants married women right to retain maiden surnames |website=[[Manila Bulletin]] |url=https://mb.com.ph/2021/12/01/lower-house-grants-married-women-right-to-retain-maiden-surnames/ |access-date=24 January 2023 |date=1 December 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Misis aprub gamitin apelyido sa pagkadalaga – Kamara |url=https://tonite.abante.com.ph/2023/02/19/misis-aprub-gamitin-apelyido-sa-pagkadalaga-kamara/ |website=Abante Tonite |access-date=19 February 2023 |language=Filipino |date=21 February 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Bill allowing married women to retain maiden name gets House nod |url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1197877 |work=Philippine News Agency |access-date=28 March 2023 |date=21 March 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=Panti, Llanesca |title=House okays on final reading bill allowing married women to keep maiden surname |url=https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/864587/house-okays-on-final-reading-bill-allowing-married-women-to-keep-maiden-surname/story/ |publisher=GMA News |access-date=28 March 2023 |date=21 March 2023}}</ref>
 
Married women in professional circles (e.g. [[Gloria Macapagal Arroyo]], [[Korina Sanchez-Roxas]], [[Vilma Santos-Recto]]) typically join their maiden and married surnames in both professional and legal use. This allows them to be identified as married, and keep track of their professional achievements without being confused for any similarly named individuals. An older scheme based on [[Spanish naming customs]] add the particle ''de'' ("of") between the maiden and married surnames. This tradition is no longer common.

===Taiwan===
Taiwanese women generally keep their surnames after marriage, while their children may inherit either the father's or the mother's. It is, however, legal to take the spouse's surname.<ref>{{cite web|title=Laws & Regulations Database and The Republic of China|url=http://law.moj.gov.tw/Eng/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?PCode=D0030011|website=law.moj.gov.tw|access-date=17 March 2017}}</ref> Some older women have the husband's surname tagged on to theirs, as was common in the early to mid-20th century.

===Thailand===
A Thai wife who adopted her husband's surname due to the old law requiring it, can also change back to her original surname.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thaigeneralkonsulat.de/th/consular/namensfuehrung.html |script-title=th:การใช้ชื่อสกุลตามพระราชบัญญัติชื่อบุคคล (ฉบับที่ 3) พ.ศ. 2548 |author=Royal Thai Consulate-General, [[Frankfurt]] am Main |access-date=10 August 2011 |language=th |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111126011248/http://www.thaigeneralkonsulat.de/th/consular/namensfuehrung.html |archive-date=26 November 2011 }}</ref>

===Vietnam===
In Vietnamese culture, women keep their family names once they marry, whilst the children produced by the couple tend to keep the father's family name.

== Use as security question ==
One's mother's maiden name has been a common [[security question]] in banking since at least the 1980s.<ref name=Levin>{{Cite journal|url=http://www.slate.com/id/2183030/pagenum/all/ |title=In What City Did You Honeymoon? And other monstrously stupid bank security questions |journal=Slate |first=Josh |last=Levin |date=30 January 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100113060507/http://www.slate.com/id/2183030/pagenum/all |archive-date=13 January 2010 }}</ref> It is a security question which can be easily circumvented by hackers.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Oliveria-Giles |first1=Nathan |title=Mom's Maiden Name? The Right Way to Answer Security Questions and More Online Safety Advice |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/moms-maiden-name-the-right-way-to-answer-security-questions-and-more-online-safety-advice-1481838744 |website=[[Wall Street Journal]] |access-date=3 March 2024}}</ref>

==See also==
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
*[[Birth name#Maiden and married names]]
*[[Galton–Watson process]]
*[[Matriname]]
*[[Matronymic]]
*[[Name change]]
*[[Patronymic]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* [[Shelley Zalis]], "Why maiden names matter in the age of AI and identity", ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', vol. 204, nos. 19-120 (9 December 2024), p.&nbsp;31. "In the [[Digital electronics|digital]] age, a name is more than just a label. It's tied to our professional history and social media presence. It's also how we are recognized by [[artificial intelligence|AI]] [[algorithm]]s."

==External links==
*[https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-29804450 Why should women change their names on getting married?] – a history of name changing upon marriage in the UK and in the US

{{Personal names}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Married And Maiden Names}}
[[Category:Surname]]
[[Category:Marriage|Names]]