To keep your maiden name or not? It’s a decision that’s typically decided by the time you’ve reached the altar, or soon after. But modern mamas are changing with the times, and many are waiting until a baby comes along to make the switch.
According to our poll across our community pages, one in five women who did not change their surnames after tying the knot did so once baby was in the picture.
For some, this delayed name change is symbolic of starting a family. “After two years of being married, I actually just changed my name for Father’s Day/second anniversary, because I want my child to have a birth certificate with all of our last names matching, since we did make that commitment. I felt like it was sort of the final cement that I had been kind of wary to seal our relationship with before,” says Krista L.
Maybe changing your last name seemed like a hassle, or just unnecessary, when you were getting married. But a baby brings on a whole new perspective. Will his friends inevitably call you Mrs. So-and-So anyways? Will you worry his teacher will assume you’re divorced?
Of course, this is all personal preference. If you do want to change your name, new services like HitchSwitch Name Change can streamline the process. Rather than running around town between work and daycare to get all the right paperwork filed, you’ll receive the appropriate forms in the mail, complete with pre-addressed and stamped envelopes. It’s one less headache in your busy life!
But we know—at the end of the day, everyone will end up calling you “Liam’s Mom” anyways.
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