Maintaining a Cherished Tradition: Empowered Brides Embracing Husbands’ Names

When Irene Evran, formerly Irene Yuan, got married to Colin Evran three years ago during the pandemic, they decided to take his last name. This decision felt natural to Irene since her mother had kept her maiden name, following Chinese tradition. Irene thought it would be easier to share a name with her husband and future children. It was important to Colin, and she also liked how his name sounded with hers. Irene, 35, from San Francisco, said it wasn’t a difficult decision and felt pretty simple and straightforward.

According to a recent survey by Pew Research Center, four out of five women in opposite-sex marriages in the United States changed their last names. The survey found that 14% of women kept their last names, with younger women, aged 18 to 34, being more likely to do so. Only 5% of couples chose hyphenated last names, and less than 1% opted for a completely new last name. Interestingly, 5% of men in opposite-sex marriages took their wife’s last name.

The decision to change or keep one’s last name after marriage is influenced by various factors, including political affiliation and education. Conservative Republican women were found to be more likely (90%) to take their husbands’ names compared to liberal Democrats (66%). Similarly, 83% of women without a college degree changed their names, while 68% of those with a postgraduate degree did. Research suggests that women who keep their names tend to be older, have established careers, and higher incomes. They have invested in building their professional identity.

Marital naming has also been observed to differ among different racial and ethnic groups. Immigrants to the United States, Black women, and Hispanic women are less likely to take their spouse’s names. Pew’s survey found that 86% of white women changed their names, compared to 73% of Black women and 60% of Hispanic women. In many Spanish-speaking countries, it is customary to keep one’s name. Unfortunately, the sample size did not have enough Asian American women to draw conclusions.

The trend of keeping one’s maiden name is potentially increasing as people marry later and highly educated individuals are more likely to marry. However, societal gender norms still play a significant role in decision-making. Sociologist Sharon Sassler suggests that weddings are traditionally associated with gendered norms, making discussions about patriarchal institutions less prevalent. Some women have found practical reasons for changing their names, such as simplifying family dynamics and administrative tasks.

There is limited research on the topic of name changing in marriages, likely due to it being considered a “women’s issue” and undervalued by research funders. Pew’s survey did not include enough data on same-sex couples to draw conclusions, but some same-sex couples express feeling freer in their choice due to the lack of a traditional expectation. For couples like Rosemary and Christena Kalonaros-Pyle, who work in marketing in New York, they chose to hyphenate their last names in order to share the same name as their future children and honor their respective family names.