Take our Relationship Satisfaction Test

Find a marriage therapist near me

Around the world, millions of married women keep their birth name for life, even after having children.

U.S. women are outpacing men in masters, doctorates, and professional degrees, and marrying later in life.

The more education a woman obtains, the more likely she keeps her birth name after marriage.

Until U.S. courts halted required name changes in the 1960s and 70s, wives had to change their name to drive.

I heard “Congratulations to the future Mrs. Kelce” on the radio this spring.

Despite being among the most famous and successful women in the world and holding a larger net worth than her now husband, Travis Kelce, even Taylor Swift experienced the social presumptions of taking her husband’s last name after marriage. Why? And will young Swifties, and other unwed women, encounter the same “traditional” naming pressures if they decide to marry in the future?

Only time will tell, but some signs suggest more young women may be choosing to keep their birth name rather than automatically taking their husband’s last name.

In the U.S., Women Often Take a Husband’s Last Name

For background, approximately 79 percent of U.S. women change their last name to their husbands, according to a 2023 Pew Research study. Many of these women are motivated by their desire to have children and/or prioritize a unified family name.

Women changing their names is also common in counties like the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, and parts of Canada.

Globally, Women Commonly Keep Their Birth Name

However, millions of women throughout the world do not change their name after marriage, or even after having children. In countries like Spain, Chile, and Mexico, women traditionally keep their birth surnames for life, as do women in China, South........

© Psychology Today