Ladies, will you change your last name after marriage?

I am currently planning on NOT changing my last name. I'm Mrs. "husband's last name" for all intents and purposes, BUT I would still like to be Dr. "Maiden name". Is that odd? I think that I have to keep my maiden name legally so that I can be addressed/officially Dr. "maiden name". Is that true?

I'm curious to see what other people have to say about this topic. I realize that times are changing and a lot, though still a minority, of females are not changing their names.

I got married a few years ago, did not change my name, and no one refers to me as Mrs "husbands name" either unless they do not know.

I don't think I'd change my last name either. I like how Dr. [last name] sounds. Also, if I end up working in my hometown, I'd be stupid not to keep the last name since my parents, especially my mother, are well-known within the community (they're both doctors, so insert doctors' kids comments here).

if my wife did that i'd defiinitely get me a prenump

I didn't change my last name because I have always looked forward to being Dr. [last name]. My husband and I talked about it and he didn't have any stong opinions. I did want to be fair so we actually came up with a bunch of options (hyphenation, using one last name as a middle name, him changing to my name) and pulled one out of a hat. We ended up pulling the him changing his last name to mine option, but his family gave him some grief and we figured it would be simpler to just leave it alone.

Depending on what point in your career you get married, changing your name could be simple or complex. If you don't change it you will get called all sorts of things by people who don't know (Mrs. husband's last name, Mrs. your last name, your husband may get Mr. your last name) but as long as you tell the people who matter to you it should be ok after a while (I have been married 4 years and some of my extended family still forgets what I am supposed to be called, but I will respond to whatever they try-Dr. first name is gaining popularity since I graduated). Do what you want and don't feel pressured by others (but do talk it over with your husband, his input should matter to you and hopefully you can agree on something)

I think it's becoming more common for women to keep their birth names after they get married. I have two friends who didn't change their names. Their children have their father's surname and that seems to satisfy their husbands.

I changed my name. For a while, I tried to keep my maiden name professionally but that soon got complicated. So, now I'm [first name] [married name] across the board.

can i ask what made it so complicated? i've been doing ok so far, but then i've only been married for a few months. i am, however, an attending. i'm done with med school, etc.

I kept my name legally and for proffessional purposes after getting married, but we let our traditional families put my married name on cards/mail/gifts/invitations etc. It makes them happy so whatever. I am my father's only child and all the other children of my generation are female so I felt I really wanted to keep the last name alive. I really don't think divorce is in my future but realistically we never know and I feel like its difficult proffessionally to change your name in the future, so I'd rather just keep my name so it wouldn't be affected by things occuring in my personal life.

Originally Posted by IbnSina

These should be on leno. lol

Hello.

I am a guy here.

Well, I guess if you are the kind of person to pursue medicine, then I suppose you are also the type of person who isn't gonna change your last name no matter what.

As a guy, I guess I would be hurt a little, but I'd get over.

Also, it maybe a bad idea to change your name - cause if you have done any research in the past, then academia will give you grief when you try to cite the research work that you did.

Originally Posted by CatsandCradles

Well, I guess if you are the kind of person to pursue medicine, then I suppose you are also the type of person who isn't gonna change your last name no matter what.

Huh? I took my wife's last name when we got married, and I'm going into medicine. What would one possibly have to do with the other?

Originally Posted by CatsandCradles

Hello.

Also, it maybe a bad idea to change your name - cause if you have done any research in the past, then academia will give you grief when you try to cite the research work that you did.

the earlier you change, the better, in that case.

I am planning on getting married before starting med school and will change my name to his and keep my middle name the way it is, not change it to my maiden name. I might have wanted to hyphenate, but our names rhyme so that's out. His is easier to spell and pronounce and I love his family, whereas I don't feel very connected to my dad's side of the family.

If I get married, I'll probably keep my last name. It's short, relatively easy to spell/pronounce, ethnic, near the beginning of the alphabet, and sounds great w/ "Dr."

Everyone should go back to basics. Maybe thats why we have 60% divorce rate in America. Its really sad. We should look-up to marriages like African Marriages cuz they last till death-do-them-path.

so, back to the OP for a moment, i don't think it's odd because that was exactly my plan. we felt that keeping my name was the natural choice, but we figured that our families may not feel the same way. in the end, however, it didn't quite work out like that. simplicity won out, and i currently use my madien name for everything. plenty of relatives (including my mom) call me Mrs. "husband's last name," which is fine. the only time i've not been sure what to do is when we send a joint letter to friends and family - but now i just sign our first names on the letter and on the envelope, and it works.

i think i read somewhere that more women are taking their husbands' names now than 10 years ago.

Originally Posted by gwen

I am currently planning on NOT changing my last name. I'm Mrs. "husband's last name" for all intents and purposes, BUT I would still like to be Dr. "Maiden name". Is that odd?

Mine will be hyphenated, but my children will have my husband's last name.

I never changed my name after marriage. Partly because I'm lazy, but also because I'm so attached to my last name. I feel like it flows well with my first name, if that makes any sense.

My hubby could care less either way, he likes my last name as well. He jokes that if I had an awful, hard to pronounce name he would have forced me to change it.

I wonder what will happen when it comes time for kids though. Do kids normally take their mother's name? Or is it up to the parents?

In the US, it is completely up to the parents what name a child gets. You could name the kid Tax Deduction and they wouldn't be able to stop you (please don't though ).

Originally Posted by dpmd

In the US, it is completely up to the parents what name a child gets. You could name the kid Tax Deduction and they wouldn't be able to stop you (please don't though ).

Good to know.

My parents are both dentists and my mother kept her name. She was going to keep it anyway, but it was helpful since they worked in the same practice. I think it would be confusing to have two doctors in the same office by the same name. On that same note, I think I will take my husband's name when it happens (if he is not also a Dr.) so that I don't have the same name as my father (Dr. Father's Last Name). I guess it is a personal choice, most of the women in my family kept their name. I never minded that my mother kept her name, but my cousins tell me that they were always annoyed that their mother's name caused so much confusion in their lives. And honestly, sometimes it is confusing, like when buying airplane tickets, or signing consent forms, but it's really not that big a deal.

Originally Posted by gwen

I am currently planning on NOT changing my last name. I'm Mrs. "husband's last name" for all intents and purposes, BUT I would still like to be Dr. "Maiden name". Is that odd? I think that I have to keep my maiden name legally so that I can be addressed/officially Dr. "maiden name". Is that true?

I'm curious to see what other people have to say about this topic. I realize that times are changing and a lot, though still a minority, of females are not changing their names.

I'm often amazed to see I am in the minority of women who will NOT change their name... but for some reason I have always felt this way too. To be Mrs. X and Dr. ME. I have thought so much about why I want it this way, and maybe because I am a liberal Californian, and have never fantasized the idea of being married with children (not that I don't think it is likely to happen), but there are two other reasons I have concluded as well. 1) My dad passed away when I was younger and it is the name he gave me, 2) I am now published and want to keep all things connected to my name so it is less confusing in the academic world.
oh, and why not just always be Dr. X? I think it's too confusing for the kids, the children don't need to be bothered with the fact that you are a Dr.

EDIT: oh yeah, thought of two more reasons. 3) my last name starts with a "C", so I am just used to being high up in the alphabet, LOL, 4) my last name is ethnic, and I don't want to misrepresent if I marry another race. =)

It's up to the ladies!

Personally, I like the way they do in Iceland. There, absolutely nobody will ever change their name. In fact, family surnames don't even exist. Your surname is your father's first name, with a "son" attached for males, and a "dottir" (daughter) for females. So if Mary Jane's father is named Thor, she'd be Mary Jane Thorsdottir from she's born until she dies.

Apart from that special case, I simply cannot understand why anybody should be expected to change their name in mid-life. Men would certainly never dream of doing that, and I really can't see that a couple is less married because the woman keeps the name she was born with. That also solves any chance of misunderstanding or legal issues. But I do realize that I'm in the minority.

Originally Posted by PathOne

Personally, I like the way they do in Iceland. There, absolutely nobody will ever change their name. In fact, family surnames don't even exist. Your surname is your father's first name, with a "son" attached for males, and a "dottir" (daughter) for females. So if Mary Jane's father is named Thor, she'd be Mary Jane Thorsdottir from she's born until she dies.

Apart from that special case, I simply cannot understand why anybody should be expected to change their name in mid-life. Men would certainly never dream of doing that, and I really can't see that a couple is less married because the woman keeps the name she was born with. That also solves any chance of misunderstanding or legal issues. But I do realize that I'm in the minority.

I totally agree, and thanks for that explanation of the Icelandic system.

The answer to the Original Q. First of I never thought that you guys exist. I always thought I am alone on this matter. I went through a lot of grief becoz I chose not to change my lastname. I did before,but as I get older I started to reclaim my identity. This reclaiming is even get more solid when my Dad passed away. I will never give up my lastname again for anything/any reason. I strongly feel that my father is the only man that is worthy of my devotion.My lastname is my son's middlename ,I am so glad that my father lives in both of us.

Here are the real men & women allowing each other to be who they are.There are also men that won't allow their wives not to have a short hair.And as a dentist, I mostly notice that women doctors usually are the ones who can carry out their wishes up against the societal stigma of any sort.Therefore I must conclude that it is a definite power/assertiveness issue.

I didn't change my last name when I got married. My husband kept his name as well. We have discussed choosing a new last name to both take, and may still do that in the future. No one in my family or his has been negative about our choices, although we both come from relatively conservative Catholic families.

I never considered changing my name. My middle name is my mom's last and my last name is my dad's last. I like that. And I'm lazy and didn't want to deal with the name changing paperwork My name is part of my history.

I know that having the same name wouldn't make me any more or less committed to my relationship, no matter how society views things like that. We've been together for almost a decade and going strong b/c we respect and love each other as we are.

I think if someone really wants to take their spouse's last name, or add it, male OR female, that's great. No one should feel pressured. It's a personal choice, and who am I to judge?

I think the idea of one spouse "allowing" the other spouse to do something is nuts (IMO). Of course we make major life decisions together- like me choosing where to go to school based on areas that work both for me as a student and where his career can develop- but to not "allow" a haircut? I never would have considered marrying someone like that, because I am not the kind of person who would do that to another person, or who would put up with that crap.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated...I have scoured the internet and asked many of my professional friends what to do about the name change.

I am getting married in 6 months and can't seem to get a consistent answer on what to do with my name. What I "want" to do is keep my maiden name for professional purposes and take my husband's name for all other purposes.
I do not want to hyphenate since my name alone is long enough and I was looking forward to shortening it with his.

How EXACTLY is this accomplished? Do I legally change my name to his?
If that's the case, then will this create problems with medical licensure renewal or any other future license verification if legally my name is something else?

One option that has been presented to me is to not change it at all so that I won't have any issues on a professional level, but just start using the new name socially. However, I do want to be able to obtain bank accounts, credit cards, real estate, driver's license with my husband's name. Does this preclude that?

The other option which seems the closest to what I want to do is to change my name so that my maiden name is now my middle name and my new last name is my husband's. Again, will I have any issues just going by Dr. Maiden Name in terms of medical licensing & verification?

Please help me figure out how to go about getting my new identity!

I kept my maiden name when I got married. Many people still try to address me as "Mrs. Husband's Name" - including my in-laws.

Absolutely! Cozycleo thank you for your post.

It's quite pricey to get it done here actually and quite a pain as well. A lot of forms and cards that require changing. From a women's perspective this time, I really like what Cozycleo posted and agree 100% with what he mentioned. I think at the end of the day, to me the family would feel more as whole if we shared the same last name. Might have been brought up old fashioned, I don't know but to me it only makes sense.

Wow.
I'm actually pretty surprised that so many of the guys on here seem so attached to the notion that a woman needs to change her name when she gets married. I don't see anything wrong w/either decision (change your name vs. not) and I can certainly understand wanting the kids to have his name (or a hyphenated last name) just to avoid questions of people wondering if the kids are his, etc. However, I think the fact that some of you (guys) seem to "need" the woman to change her name is kind of surprising. It shouldn't matter what name is on her driver's license IMHO. You either love her and want to spend the rest of your life with her, or you don't. I don't see what the name changing has to do with it at all. For me, it's all about the marriage ceremony and making a lifetime promise. The name's got nothing to do with it. I don't know what I'd do if I had a fiancee who was freaking out b/c it wasn't convenient for me to change my name (already being a licensed physician, etc.) or I didn't feel like it. I guess I'd wonder whether he really wanted to marry me, vs. marry some blowup doll that he could write his name on. But I guess I'm being too harsh. For some guys, it's just important to their personal identity I guess.

r.e.the "DNA testing at birth" proposition above -
If you are in a committed relationship that's going to last for life, you should be able to trust your wife and not need a DNA test to make sure the baby is yours. If you do, you need to get a new wife, and/or get counseling if the problem is paranoia on your end (LOL). Either way, you've got problems a simple DNA test won't fix.

Originally Posted by dragonfly99

r.e.the "DNA testing at birth" proposition above -
If you are in a committed relationship that's going to last for life, you should be able to trust your wife and not need a DNA test to make sure the baby is yours. If you do, you need to get a new wife, and/or get counseling if the problem is paranoia on your end (LOL). Either way, you've got problems a simple DNA test won't fix.

There are many men (even those in committed relationships) who are victims of paternity fraud.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paternity_fraud

I agree that either way you've got problems (i.e. having a patner that has cheated on you.. and a child that is not yours).. but at least knowing early rather than later will give men the right to know the truth... and give them the ability to have more control over their lives.

There are many people (women and men) who are victims of cheating spouses. The data/past surveys have shown men cheat at higher rates than women.

I think if the baby is not yours, then you are NOT in a committed relationship. Committed means that neither one of you are cheating...

There are still lots and lots of folks who don't cheat on their partners, though (my parents = married x 38 years).

I agree that it is messed up to be paying for a baby that is not yours. There is more to parenthood than DNA, though. There are many women (and men) who have adopted kids that don't share their DNA, and these are "their" kids, essentially.

Originally Posted by dragonfly99

There are many people (women and men) who are victims of cheating spouses. The data/past surveys have shown men cheat at higher rates than women.

I think if the baby is not yours, then you are NOT in a committed relationship. Committed means that neither one of you are cheating...

There are still lots and lots of folks who don't cheat on their partners, though (my parents = married x 38 years).

I agree that it is messed up to be paying for a baby that is not yours. There is more to parenthood than DNA, though. There are many women (and men) who have adopted kids that don't share their DNA, and these are "their" kids, essentially.

I agree with everything you've said. Including the fact that there is more to parenthood than DNA. The only problem is that you're describing a situation in which the father willing chooses to adopt and is accepting and knowledgable of the situation.

What about when this is not the case? I still feel men have the right to know if their kids are theirs or not from the start. Why shouldn't they have access to this information? Considering the high prevalence of men unwittingly duped into fathering kids that aren't theirs.. I still think its wise to paternity test children or at least that men should have the right to request that it be done before their name gets placed on the birth certificate. Better to know now than years down the line after you've emotionally and financially invested in the child and the mother.. finding out later hurts MUCH worse I would think.

Hi all...I'm kind of in the middle of all this, and having a terrible time finding resources or anyone at my university who even has direct answers for me. I got married a month before med school started in 07, at which time I asked my registrar if I could keep my maiden name professionally while changing my name legally. They told me I could, so I did, even though they said it could cause some licensing hassles later, but did not specify these. I figured if they told me it was legal that there must be some procedure for dealing with this, right? No! I'm no my own here, apparently...Now it's time for me to register for Step One, and I'm running into all kinds of walls, because I need to have ID that matches the name I register, and everything except my school ID is now under my married name. My question is, I have found lots of instances online and by hearsay of people doing this, going by one name at work and keeping their married name professionally, but does anyone know how it works legally? How can I be licensed as Husbandname but use Birthname professionally, especially when I have to sign legally binding documents all the time? I realize this is something that I should have looked into more carefully at the time, but I made both the decision to get married and go to med school rather quickly, both were things I was coordinating long-distance while working two jobs, and I just didn't have time to deal with it, so I'm dealing with it now. It is very important to me to keep Birthname in there somewhere since I want to honor my adopted father who put so much sacrifice and hard work into raising me, and I will change it back or hyphenate it if I have to, since my husband is so supportive and loving, and understands my reasons for wanting to do this...I was just wondering if anyone else has been in the same boat or could point me towards some resources for dealing with this. Thanx!

You have to register with whatever ID you have.

The way it actually works is that you keep your Maiden name for all ID's and gov't paperwork, but respond to your married name socially.

It doesn't work the other way due to DEA licensing issues.

Originally Posted by sardina

Hi all...I'm kind of in the middle of all this, and having a terrible time finding resources or anyone at my university who even has direct answers for me. I got married a month before med school started in 07, at which time I asked my registrar if I could keep my maiden name professionally while changing my name legally. They told me I could, so I did, even though they said it could cause some licensing hassles later, but did not specify these. I figured if they told me it was legal that there must be some procedure for dealing with this, right? No! I'm no my own here, apparently...Now it's time for me to register for Step One, and I'm running into all kinds of walls, because I need to have ID that matches the name I register, and everything except my school ID is now under my married name. My question is, I have found lots of instances online and by hearsay of people doing this, going by one name at work and keeping their married name professionally, but does anyone know how it works legally? How can I be licensed as Husbandname but use Birthname professionally, especially when I have to sign legally binding documents all the time? I realize this is something that I should have looked into more carefully at the time, but I made both the decision to get married and go to med school rather quickly, both were things I was coordinating long-distance while working two jobs, and I just didn't have time to deal with it, so I'm dealing with it now. It is very important to me to keep Birthname in there somewhere since I want to honor my adopted father who put so much sacrifice and hard work into raising me, and I will change it back or hyphenate it if I have to, since my husband is so supportive and loving, and understands my reasons for wanting to do this...I was just wondering if anyone else has been in the same boat or could point me towards some resources for dealing with this. Thanx!

Originally Posted by sardina

Hi all...I'm kind of in the middle of all this, and having a terrible time finding resources or anyone at my university who even has direct answers for me. I got married a month before med school started in 07, at which time I asked my registrar if I could keep my maiden name professionally while changing my name legally. They told me I could, so I did, even though they said it could cause some licensing hassles later, but did not specify these. I figured if they told me it was legal that there must be some procedure for dealing with this, right? No! I'm no my own here, apparently...Now it's time for me to register for Step One, and I'm running into all kinds of walls, because I need to have ID that matches the name I register, and everything except my school ID is now under my married name. My question is, I have found lots of instances online and by hearsay of people doing this, going by one name at work and keeping their married name professionally, but does anyone know how it works legally? How can I be licensed as Husbandname but use Birthname professionally, especially when I have to sign legally binding documents all the time? I realize this is something that I should have looked into more carefully at the time, but I made both the decision to get married and go to med school rather quickly, both were things I was coordinating long-distance while working two jobs, and I just didn't have time to deal with it, so I'm dealing with it now. It is very important to me to keep Birthname in there somewhere since I want to honor my adopted father who put so much sacrifice and hard work into raising me, and I will change it back or hyphenate it if I have to, since my husband is so supportive and loving, and understands my reasons for wanting to do this...I was just wondering if anyone else has been in the same boat or could point me towards some resources for dealing with this. Thanx!

I'm not sure how to work it legally. I know of someone who is Dr. Niemann and Mrs. Newman, but I don't know if it's legally or socially.

A friend of mine tried to do what you're trying to do, and she ended up changing her legal name BACK to her maiden name. I'm not sure why, but she says it's much easier for her that way.

Hyphenating is always an option. It's a tough decision, and I'm not sure how to do it the way you'd like to, but for all the other options, luckily there's no wrong answer, just ones with more hassles.

When my husband and I got our marriage license, the clerk asked what we were doing with our names and mentioned that hyphenation can cause problems on documents and stuff. She wasn't very specific about what kind of problems though.

I just kept my maiden name, although my father has the same first initial as me and is a doctor with a lot of publications, so I have kind of the opposite problem from most of the women here. I'm actually considering changing my last name to my husband's to distinguish myself professionally from my father.

If only my mother had kept her maiden name and passed it on to me, I wouldn't have this problem!

I've been married for 5 years I would NEVER consider changing my name. I am proud of my name and my husband loves that he married a strong, independent woman!

I have absolutely no intention of changing my name if/when I get married.

1. It's a bad idea professionally. I don't want to be known as two different people at any point in time.

2. I'm proud of my name and my heritage.

Originally Posted by mexc

I am proud of my name and my husband loves that he married a strong, independent woman!

You're not independant (single) anymore.. You're married. The creation of a single "family name" usually represents this.

Even if that means your husband and you creating your own new last name or something different together.... its just nice to have the same "family name" if you are actually a part of a family. (in my opinion)

NOPE

I am by no means attempting to start a flame war, and I am a man, so I probably shouldn't even open this can of worms, but my wife and I got married before she started a career. There were no practical drawbacks to her changing her name. It was very important to me for the two of us to share a last name - I don't think I'm old fashioned; I just like the idea of my wife having the same last name as I.

Because marriage is all about compromises, despite the fact that my wife really liked her last name, she gave it up for me, because she knew it was important for me that we shared a last name. Would I have loved her any less if she kept her maiden name? Of course not. But the fact that she changed her name symbolizes that she is no longer a part of her original nuclear family; her primary family responsibilities are no longer to her parents and siblings, but to me, just as my primary family responsibilities are no longer to my parents, but to her.

You let her know it was important to you, and she obviously didn't mind enough to make it a problem. You say it was important that you two share a common last name. If her name had some special meaning to her would you have been willing to change to her last name? Would you have been willing to create a new last name (perhaps combining both)?

My husband and I put all the various variations of names we would consider into a hat (him changing to mine, me changing to his, all sorts of hyphenations) and drew one out of the hat. We picked him changing to my last name. He had no problem with it, but then his parents got a little freaked out (and I read about how much **** a guy has to go through to change his last name) and so in the end laziness won out and we both kept our own. I don't feel any less married to him because of it, and plenty of people out there don't know any better and call me Mrs. His last name. Granted there is a part of me that looked forward to being Dr. My last name ever since I was a little girl and is happy that now I am.

I think it is perfectly appropriate for it to be something you discuss along with how you are going to handle bank accounts, loans, where you will live, what furniture you each will contribute, and all the other things you decide on when you are combining two lives into one marriage. How that discussion is resolved will be up to the people involved. I just don't think it should be considered a requirement to change.

I want to go back to bring up the optometrist's question about naming kids. Is anyone planning on doing anything besides naming their kids anything besides the husband's last name?
My husband and I are struggling with this right now. He feels strongly that children should have the father's last name "because that's the way everyone does it" - Not only do I feel like that's not a valid reason, but I honestly disagree with the tradition. The thing is, none of the alternatives quite work, either. I don't want them to have my name (that seems wrong to me in the same ways, just in opposite direction), nor do I agree with hyphenating (what is a smith-jones to do when s/he grows up and gets married? this just doesn't perpetuate like a name should).
The two possibilities I see:

• naming the girls after me and boys after him. At first glance it seems to fit the bill. But then it seems kinda off - siblings (of the same two parents) that don't share the same last name? Might get weird at school. Also seems as though it might create some male/female dichotomy - not what I'd want to go for.
• sort of modeling off the latin american tradition where mom smith and dad jones have son Bob Smith Jones (two last names - I may have the order off). except that because I want our family to kinda be all united with a name it'd be more like mom smith jones and dad smith jones (parent both absorb other spouse's name) and so the whole family has two last names. The major con is that it'd be long and clunky. But given that they're two separate last names (not an uber-long hypenated name) then both names are had, both or one can be used. (If daughter Mary smith jones chooses, later she can drop one and become Mary Smith or Mary Jones)

....curious as to what y'all think.

You could always come up with a family name of your choice (a combo your last name and his if they go together well, or something completely made up but agreable to both of you). Then you could change your last names to it as well and all match, or just have different last names than the kids. The father's last name being the default always seemed weird to me(hey she delivered the thing shouldn't she get to name it). Having two last names (regardless of if they are hyphenated) isn't great either, simply because that is a lot of writing you have to do every time you have to put your name down (and lots of computer systems can't handle it meaning one name gets chopped off or the two get smooshed together into one name)

Originally Posted by dpmd

You could always come up with a family name of your choice (a combo your last name and his if they go together well, or something completely made up but agreable to both of you). Then you could change your last names to it as well and all match, or just have different last names than the kids. The father's last name being the default always seemed weird to me(hey she delivered the thing shouldn't she get to name it). Having two last names (regardless of if they are hyphenated) isn't great either, simply because that is a lot of writing you have to do every time you have to put your name down (and lots of computer systems can't handle it meaning one name gets chopped off or the two get smooshed together into one name)

This does make the most sense. Although I wouldn't marry a female who refused to take my name, I would be totally open to a brand new name that we both agree on.

Not to bring up another controversial topic, but I got the idea from a lesbian couple I knew in school. They couldn't marry, but they wanted to do something that would demonstrate to the outside world their commitment. So after their commitment ceremony (I wasn't invited, so I don't know the details), they went and legally changed their names. I don't remember the exact names, but it was something like fitzpatrick and sullivan. They ended up with something like fitzsullivan. I thought it worked out nicely for them.