Did you change your last name when you got married? This used to be a very common practice, but not everyone understands why people do this tradition. Today, not every bride chooses to change her surname.
When I got married, I decided to change my maiden name to my husband’s surname. This is what traditionally happens for brides. I know some women who chose to keep their original surname after they got married. This is a rather new trend, but, is a choice that is considered to be socially acceptable today. Some women chose to do a bit of both: they keep their surname, and hyphenate it to their husband’s surname.
Why do brides change their names? Part of the answer has to do with the distribution of wealth. Through the mid-twentieth century, a deceased person’s property was given out according to the directions and instructions the person left in his will. If there was no will, then property would automatically go to the male head of household.
Women who were not a member of a royal family were prohibited from owning property in most countries up until the eighteenth century. Wives were considered to be the property of their husbands. Brides were expected to give up their surnames, and take up the last name of their husband. The husbands, in turn, were expected to provide for their wives, (financially, physically and socially).
When women change their surnames, after marriage, it signaled certain things to the rest of society. It pointed out that she was no longer single. It made it clear who she “belonged” to. It made it clear who, exactly, was supposed to be protecting her. Some women choose to lose their maiden name after marriage because it matches their religious beliefs about what they should be doing.
Statistically, the majority of women choose to change their surname to their husband’s surname after marriage. The number of brides who keep their surname has been rising over the years. The reason for this could have something to do with concepts put forth by the feminist movements.
A study that was done in 2009 studied the wedding announcements that were published in the New York Times from 1971 to 2005. From this, they learned several things.
Before the 1980’s, around 1% of brides kept their surname. During the 1980’s, it rose to 9%. In the 1990’s, about 23% of women chose not to change their maiden name after marriage. In the 2000’s, the percentage dropped, but only slightly, to around 18%.
Brides that had completed higher levels of education were more likely to keep their surnames. So were brides who had a high-powered occupation. Losing your surname, and having to teach your current clients what changed it to, could be confusing, (and lead to the loss of business). Older brides were more likely to keep their surnames than were younger brides.
Religion has something to do with the decision making process. 55.9% of women who had a non-religious civil ceremony keep their surnames. Women who had Catholic ceremonies are the least likely group to decide to keep their maiden names.
Image by Kimberly Vardeman on Flickr