Even in countries where women are allowed by law to keep their maiden name after marriage, many women tend to adopt their husband's name after they marry.

When they use both names, the husband's name usually precedes the maiden name. The order maiden name - husband's name appears to be most frequently used by the rich and famous.

The reference below explains about the use of women's surnames in the European community.


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Note added at 2003-10-10 15:22:15 (GMT)
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In reply to Sarah\'s comment, I\'d like to add the following:

In the Netherlands, too, official bodies always register and address a woman by her maiden name, often with the addition of \"e.v. X\" or \"echtgenote van\" (wife of X). This also goes for a woman\'s passport.

In the Netherlands, most women use either their husband\'s name or their husband\'s name plus their own maiden name (always hyphenated). During my first marriage, I adopted my husband\'s name. Sometimes, especially on written forms, I used the hyphenated combination.

Now that I have remarried, I use only my maiden name.

It's certainly becoming more and more common, along with other variations on the theme (e.g. hyphenated combinations of husband's and wife's last name, each person simply maintaining their own name, husband assuming wife's name). I don't think it's the status quo anywhere though. I guess it is a result of the women's movement, women being more independent than earlier and wanting to maintain their own identities (just some of the cultural background in case you aren't familiar with it).

Hillary Rodham Clinton immediately pops to mind.

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Note added at 10 mins (2003-10-10 13:28:10 GMT)
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In Switzerland it\'s in fact the law; Schmidt marries Holz and the last name is officially Schmidt-Holz (although in day to day use, just one name is often used). I\'m married to a Swiss man and I needed special written permission to keep my own last name instead of hyphenating!

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Note added at 16 mins (2003-10-10 13:34:39 GMT)
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Coretta Scott King

which is why people here are so surprised that in our family we both use the same name!
I once travelled with a party of high-level officials, including several Belgian couples, in India and was quite surprised when they produced their passports in separate names (given their age group) and, worse still, had to explain things in each hotel because the staff were convinced that these were illicit couples.....

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Note added at 2003-10-10 13:41:50 (GMT)
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In FRANCE women tend to take their husbands names but a new law has been passed whereby couples can choose for their children whether to use the mother\'s name of the father\'s or a combination of both (and in what order).
Oddly, for the Social Security and the rest of officialdom, a women\'s name is ALWAYS her maiden name. Women even have to ask permission to keep their married names on divorce. Normally they should revert automatically, giving rise to comic situations if they remarry quite fast. I once had a colleague who changed names 3 times in a matter of months!

tend to keep their maiden names, if they became famous before they got married, that goes for a number of movie stars, singers, etc. But this is not the rule for ordinary women. They always have a choice. As a freelancer, for instance, I kept my maiden name because everyone professional knows me under that name. The general rule, however, is to use your married name, even the tax authorities have how granted me double identity: one for VAT (married name) one for income tax purposes (single name).

In England the practice of hyphenating your own and your husband's surname does happen, but it not common. In my experience it happens rather more often that women keep their own surname on marriage, if they don't want to take their husband's. In some cases they use their maiden name for work purposes and their married name for family-related things, which can get confusing.

None of this happens particularly frequently - the most usual thing is still for women to take their husband's surname, but the other options are available if you don't want to do that.

In Portugal, women usually adopt the husband’s name. Having said that, women are allowed to keep their maiden name, if they want, as most men do, and men are also allowed to adopt their wife’s name. In my case, I kept my maiden name; it was my husband who adopted my surname “Brum”.

I know a person (not personally)whose name is

"Woelk-Alevisopoulus" (a Greek husband, it seems).

Or what do you think of "Krenz-Maes" ("Maes" to be pronounced in German "Määß" (reminds me kind of a sheep, whereby, standing on its own, it would sound ok, but the double name is terrible, as for me.)

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Note added at 1 hr 21 mins (2003-10-10 14:39:37 GMT)
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One more- forgot, even tougher:

Simone \"Greiner-Petter-Memm\" (quite a successful female German biatleth). She already had a double name, now has a triple one.

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Note added at 1 hr 24 mins (2003-10-10 14:41:55 GMT)
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Or Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann, world champion in ice-skating.

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Note added at 1 hr 28 mins (2003-10-10 14:45:49 GMT)
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Or Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann, world champion in ice-skating.

I come from the UK where it is much more common that the woman adopts her husbands surname. There are exceptions and usually they come about for a reason. For example, I am a scientist with numerous publications relating to the research I have carried out. I have known several women who worked with me, who after getting married kept their surnames or adopted a hyphenated name so that there was some degree of consistency with their publication list (which is the prime career asset for a scientist).

I have also heard of this practice in cases where women have used their names as their "trademarks" for which ever line of business they are in. This way clients can relate the married womans name, to the one she used when she was working with them before she was married (I'm thinking of a lawyer in this specific example).

The most common traditional practice has been for a married woman to keep her maiden name, followed by her husband's surname. For example, if Jane Doe marries John Smith, she becomes Jane Doe Smith.

...a woman may keep her maiden name, change it to that of her husband or keep both.
The man may also take on his wife's name upon marriage, although I don't think a lot of men do!

Very often, women keeping their maiden name are actors, singers etc. who have made a name for themselves and therefore it would be difficult for them to change their name. I do believe, however, that this has become more common for 'common people' like ourselves to keep their surnames. There could be any number of reasons for this.
HTH

we keep our surname which does not change at all





if a lady named MARIA ROSSI marries a chap named "GIORGIO BIANCHI", after the marriage her name will still be "MARIA ROSSI"




ciao