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Recently, I’ve seen the topic of name changing on a handful of wedding sites. I believe that it is a personal choice for a woman to either keep her name, take her husband’s, or come up with a combination of the two names.
I personally don’t think that my last name is the sole factor of my identity. I know that I am who I am because of the way I was raised and the lessons I have learned about myself over the past 27 years. I can’t thank my family and friends enough for helping to make me the person that I am today. I love my name and the family history that comes with it, but I can’t wait to take Mr. E’s last name! I’m excited to start a family history with him and share that last name with our kids (down the road).
The Elephant gang in 2009 on “formal night” of our cruise
If I didn’t have a brother to “carry on” on the family name, I might have legally changed my middle name to my maiden name or thought about giving it to our future son as a middle name. My new last name will be less than half the letters of my current name, which will make that signature even faster, haha. Unfortunately, our kids won’t be able enjoy being at the beginning of the alphabet like I did, but the middle isn’t that bad, right? My mom went from practically the very end of the alphabet to almost the beginning, and I’m sure she loved it when my brother and I were called at the beginning of graduations (allowing for an opportunity to sneak out early, LOL).
Even with the hassle of changing my name on all legal documents as well as bank accounts and cards, I still look forward to the day when I become Mrs. Elephant (new last name)!
Will you be keeping your last name, changing to your husband’s, combining the two, or doing something else?
I’m taking FI’s last name- I just like it better 
As you said, I have two brothers so it isn’t like my family’s last name will “die out.” I’m moving from the beginning of the alphabet to the end, but that’s okay. I feel like I always have my identity, no matter what my last name is. It really wasn’t a hard decision at all for me. That being said, if he’d had a terrible last name (or one that rhymed with my first), I would absolutely keep mine. I’m all about practicality!
I opted to keep my name, but am not crazy about it and use my husband’s socially. Eventually when kids are in the picture I will probably add my husband’s name and hyphenate.
I will likely keep my name legally due to my career - I’ve done work in academia and basically your name is your link to all of your publications and presentations. But socially, I will happily use FI’s last name.
This was a very easy but still stressful decision for me. I’ve gone through life expecting that this is my name and I will keep it - changing it would lead to a lifetime of resentment on my part. As much as my fiance would at heart prefer I take his name, he knows it’s a big deal to me. Just like it was a big deal for him to keep his name when I asked him to change it. (my last name is awesome - of course he should take it! 
I’m still playing the waiting game, but I cannot WAIT to take my SO’s last name! I currently have a Z last name and love it so much, I promised myself I wouldn’t change my last name unless I liked my FH’s better. Turns out he has a beautiful A last name, so to the top of the alphabet I’ll go! And all together, my first, middle, and new last name will make me sound very french OOH LALA!
FI’s last name is so easy to say and pronounce… people do not add random consonants and vowels to it… I can’t wait!
This has been an internal and external debate for a while with me! My FI and I are both Italian, and our last names include an obscene amount of vowels… hence my user name, holy vowels. My first instinct is to hyphenate my last name, and our future children will get just his last name. I am attached to my first and last name. My Aunt moved our last name to her middle name and took on her husbands last name, but it’s never seen or used, just as an initial. I’d still like to see it and use it, along with my new last name. I fear with so many letters that it won’t fit on credit cards or my drivers license!
Well I’m not engaged, but if the SO decided to make it official I’m not sure if I would change my last name. It’s funny cause for as long as I could remember I wanted to change it - it’s one of the most common last names in America. But I don’t care for the SO’s last name, which saddens me…not sure what I will do. One good thing my initials will not change so anything I’ve monogrammed will still work! LOL!
I will be changing my last name to his, never really gave it a thought to do otherwise.
I’m either hyphenating (hence the screen name) or going with two last names with no hyphen. I just can’t bear the thought of losing my last name to become a Smith. Our kids will be Smiths, but I love my last name too much to give it up!
I’m 99% sure I’m going to change my name to Mr. Hippos. I just like the ring of it! It has less syllables than mine and I think goes better with my first name.
I am leaning towards hyphenating right now, but it sure is a hassle for a woman to change her name!
@HolyVowels: I never thought about length of a name on a credit card. Hopefully when you combine yours it all its
@tomboypink: Mr. E’s last name is pretty interesting and at first I wasn’t a big fan of it. I never have people look twice when we’re out to eat and I give my name for a table. I always seem to get the “can you repeat that” look when I give Mr. E’s last name. It’s not long or hard, but interesting and I have really come to embrace it.
@qui40067 - I have the same issue, being in academia and already being known by my maiden name.
However, I also like the idea of taking his name and creating a family together (sharing names with our children in the future). Because of this, I plan to keep my maiden name as a middle name and still use it professionally, but use his last name in my personal life.
I’ve kept my last name and hopefully our children will have both of our last names just hypenated.
I am looking forward to taking Mr. G’s last name too! Unfortunately I’m an only child so it’ll be up to my cousin to carry on our very unique last name. I couldn’t imagine changing my middle name because it is just as much a part of me as my first name- I’m half Japanese and my middle name is my Japanese name. But I want to show Mr. G’s family that I’m fully on board with being one of them since I’m taking their son away from his home country!
“I personally don’t think that my last name is the sole factor of my identity.” ~Miss Elephant
I don’t know anyone who keeps their last name because it is her “sole factor of her identity.”
That was a little snarky.
I’m keeping my last name because I don’t feel any desire to change it. It’s a personal decision, and I think whatever you feel more comfortable doing is what you should do.
@theresa - In no way did I mean for that to be a snarky comment. I agree with you, like I said in the beginning, it’s a personal choice for a woman. I was just trying to explain how I felt.
We are combining half of my last name and half of his last name and making a new last name. No hyphenating, just half and half to make a new one. I can’t wait!
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Mrs. Elephant, Dallas, TX Age and Occupation: 27, Financial Operations Analyst Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, IT Student/Store Manager Engagement Date: March 29, 2009 Wedding Date: April 2011 Venue: The Tribute Golf Club About Me: I'm a Philly native creating roots deep in the heart of Texas. I might be a little obsessed capturing those Kodak moments of anything and everything (mainly on vacations). I've become more of a gamer thanks to Mr. Elephant, who I met online and can't wait to spend the rest of my life with. We are planning a wedding based on our favorite colors, blue and green, with a travel theme for 150 of our closest friends and family. Hopefully our long (2-year) engagement won't kill me!
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