Content creator Lucy<\/u><\/a> is one of them. In a recent TikTok video, Lucy shared with her 438,000 viewers<\/u><\/a> that taking her husband\u2019s name wasn\u2019t even something she \u201cconsidered\u201d leading up to getting married, because \u201cwhy should I change it for someone else?\u201d This led her to wonder why other women had made the same choice. So, she posed the question, \u201cFor my girls who didn\u2019t change your last name, I want to hear your reason why.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s hear it! Your reasons for not changing it or honestly for changing it! Very curious<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n It turns out, the answers were as varied as the individuals who wrote them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many commenters said their last name carries personal or professional meaning\u2014a part of who they are that they\u2019ve worked too hard to give up:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI earned my doctorate with my last name and I\u2019m the only one in my family with an advanced degree.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBecause I got married not bought. I don\u2019t find it necessary for a woman to change her identity once she gets married.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt felt weird. I came into this world with my name. Why would I change it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Heritage and lineage play a big role too. Keeping a name can mean keeping a connection to family, culture, or faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m first gen Mexican American and it was a piece of my identity I was not willing to give up. Also will be first gen college graduate so I want my family name on that degree.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI didn\u2019t change mine because in Islam a woman is supposed to keep her last name and not erase her identity by taking someone else\u2019s name. It also is your link to your lineage.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy fiance (male) is taking my (female) last name instead of me changing my name! He is adopted and isn\u2019t closely attached to his last name, whereas my dad passed when I was a kid and I have always felt close to him and to my last name. He wants to honor my dad by taking his name instead!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Then there were those whose reasons were more\u2026 logistical. After all, love might be forever, but so is the DMV line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI avoid the Social Security office and DMV like the plague.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy passport photo was good and I didn\u2019t want to change it until it expires.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe got married in 2021 and so the social security office still had covid measures. They wanted me to mail in sensitive documents and I wasn\u2019t comfortable with it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUm did you see how much paper work that was? I said to him, I don\u2019t mind changing my name, but you\u2019re going to have to all this paper work. SO THAT NEVER HAPPENED.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt will take me 273784938824 years to get an appointment at the DMV and I don\u2019t want to miss an election where I can vote against Ted Cruz.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy last name is King and his is Butler \u2014 why would I demote myself?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI wont cause his name is too long and I like saying that I\u2019m related to Marvin Gaye.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ve heard people I love say \u2018it\u2019s not even your name, it\u2019s your dad\u2019s\u2019 and I get so frustrated because ??? my fianc\u00e9\u2019s last name is just his dad\u2019s too? WTH kind of argument is that? So now I\u2019m keeping it out of spite.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Still, that doesn\u2019t mean women who do<\/em> take their partner\u2019s name are doing anything wrong. Far from it (Lucy even made a point to say \u201cno shade\u201d was being thrown at those who do).<\/p>\n\n\n\n For some, sharing a last name feels romantic or symbolically unifying. For others, it\u2019s simply easier for travel, medical paperwork, or raising kids. Couples simply have more options now, so that they can do what\u2019s best for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
For some, it\u2019s about identity and accomplishment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nFor others, it\u2019s cultural<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSome made the choice out of practicality (or paperwork fatigue)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\u2026and then some reasons were just plain funny<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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