This past summer, I read a New York Times wedding announcement that made my eyes pop. A couple named Annie Ma and Jacob Weaver were BOTH changing their last names to Ma-Weaver. What a cool idea!
Honestly, when Alex and I got married, it didn’t even occur to me to change my name. Alex’s last name is Williams, but I kept Goddard. My name is part of my identity, and because we got married when I was 30, my last name was already part of my career. When we have parties or send letters, we call ourselves the “Goddard-Williams household.” My one concern was whether our future children would have a different name from mine, but when Toby came along, we just gave him a hyphenated last name.
My sister changed her name to Kalanithi when she got married. She and her husband sometimes sign cards “Team Kalanithi,” which I think is really cute.
Have you seen The Last Name Project? Men and women write short posts explaining their decisions to change, keep or combine their names. (This one was especially fascinating!)
So, I’m curious: Will (or did) you change your last name after getting married? Or hyphenate or combine them? (If you are going to change your name, the site Hitch Switch helps you do it easily.) What’s the last name you were born with? Do you like the way your partner’s name sounds with yours? What about your future kids’ last names? I’d LOVE to hear your thoughts…
(Photo by The Sartorialist)