While it is a personal choice, most couples like to change their name after their marriage. Today, modern couples have an array of options when it comes to changing names after marriage. While taking their husbands’ names remains a popular choice for women, certain other patriarchy-breaking options have joined the list.
If the chaos of your marriage preparation, the excitement of commencing a new life, and all that follows are keeping you bereft of time needed to research for the options at your disposal, we have got you covered.
Scroll down to know the most popular name-changing options after marriage.
Take your spouse’s surname
If you like to keep it traditional, opting for your partner’s surname is ideal for you. Mostly, women take this route and add their man’s surname. However, modern couples are breaking this norm. These days, it is not uncommon to hear of a man taking his wife’s surname.
How to do it: To take the husband’s name, the wife doesn’t need a deed poll. However, she needs to send a copy of the marriage certificate to relevant authorities, such as the bank, DVLA, etc. Also, if she wishes to book the honeymoon in her new name, she will have to apply for a new passport.
To take the wife’s name, the husband is required to send a copy of the marriage certificate to the passport office, DVLA, and other record offices. However, he may require a deed poll to change the name in the bank, building society, or other such non-government organizations.
Double barrelling
Double barrelling is another convenient option for couples. Double barrel surnames comprise both the surnames separated by a hyphen. While long and complicated surnames do not qualify for double barrelling (it gets too complicated to pronounce long surnames), you can opt for double barrelling if you and your partner have short surnames.
How to do it: To double-barrel their surnames, the couple needs to send copies of their marriage certificate to relevant authorities and a note telling their new surname.
Meshing surnames
This modern trend is slowly gripping the world. On the lookout for doing something extraordinary to express their love, modern couples fuse their surnames and create a new one. This out-of-the-box idea is quite popular among millennials.
A new chapter as marriage is, meshing surnames, gives a completely fresh start to you.
How to do it: Again, for meshing their surnames, the couple requires a deed poll.
Changing maiden name to middle name
It is more of a sober idea for couples who like to keep things simple. If you don’t want to go adventurous with your surname and retain your original name, consider the idea of changing your maiden name to your middle name. With it, it will be a part of your name always. Moreover, it provides you with a perfect midway between adding a new surname but not letting the family name go.
Even men are not hesitating in taking their wives’ maiden name as their middle name.
How to do it: For this, a deed poll is required using a solicitor or a specialist agency. A copy of the marriage certificate has to be given to make the change.
The bottom line
Marriage is a union of two hearts. It doesn’t necessarily have to reflect on documents. However, couples, as an expression of their love and to solidify their commitment, change their names and declare the union.
So, if you have decided to declare your love to the world by taking the name of your spouse, we have listed all the options available to you.
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