Family names after marriage

[loaf of bread 0]

Married people here.

 

Did your wife change her surname to yours?

Or

Did you change your surname to the same as your husbands?

 

.... or did you keep your own names?

 

My wife has basically kept her Japanese surname.

 

There seems to be some fuss going on here about some new law (?) meaning that people could keep their original names. But some crusty old toads are getting all worked up about it. "End of the family", etc.

[RobBright 35]

she did both ie uses both her family name and also my family name depending on situation.

[Tubby Beaver 209]

why are japanese not keen on taking their foreign husbands name? Its just a given back home, the wife always drops her maiden name and takes up her husband's....way it should be IMO

[RobBright 35]

She has no problems with taking my name, at work she uses her family name, as easier, even though everyone knows she is married.

 

Outside of work, uses my name.

[Go Native 70]

My wife (not Japanese) kept her family name. I couldn't have cared less one way or the other.

[grungy-gonads 54]

If I get married, I really don't care at all.

Not important.

 

But whats the 'legal' situation in Japan?

[indosnm 0]

My wife changed her name to mine but at work still went under her maiden name... Just easier to pronounce for the other staff!

[gerard 6]

My wife kept her name. Kids have her last name too. My last name's French and it's a pain in the arse in both our countries. At least hers is convenient here.

[HelperElfMissy 42]

I took Papa's name - but I was 20 yrs old and mine was a shocker hyphenated one .... glad to be rid of it at the time. I am still happy with the decision to take his name, but I no longer bear the disdain for my original family name.

 

Around these parts there are HEAPS of married women who don't take their husbands name for a myriad of reasons. For some it is about identity, for others they come from a well known family and want to retain the name, but for most it is because they were a professional and their name was known in their industry, and all their qualification were in that name.

 

Most of the women who have retained it for professional reasons have no problem with being called Mrs Married at school events etc, but step immediately into Ms Professional in the work environment.

[spook 0]

I think that legally a woman can use both her maiden and married surname. So you can have bank accounts etc under two different names for the same person.

It's strange when a couple divorce and a woman keeps her ex-husband's name. She might have had that name for longer than she had her maiden name, so it would be a weird thing to change back again

[HelperElfMissy 42]

spook that exact situation has come up for my mother in law.

She was married to my Father in Law until just 3 years ago, although they were not living together for about 20 years before she actually divorced him.

 

She carried his surname from the time she was 18 years old.

At pushing 60 she had borne that married surname for WAY more than her maiden name. Her maiden name was that of her fathers - she never lived with her father or mother, and was instead raised by her grandmother (a different surname again).

 

She considered changing her name to her grandmothers surname and got the paperwork, but decided to keep her married name, as it was the same name as her son and grandchildren (my hubby and kids) - it was really only with that name that she had some connection.

[grungy-gonads 54]

Not sure how my lady would like being called Mrs Gonads.

 

 

Perhaps Takahashi would be more acceptable.

[JA2340 16]

... or Mrs Grungy! Takahashi has a far better ring to it.

[snowdude 44]

My wife kept her same name under Japanese law, main reason wanted to keep her family name, which I fully agree with, because I would not want to loose mine either, but she has a double barrelled name under English law, so she has her surname and mine.

And uses both or either depending on the situation.

 

My daughter has both of our family names.

[grungy-gonads 54]

Originally Posted By: JA

... or Mrs Grungy! Takahashi has a far better ring to it.

Or perhaps it could be a compromised Mrs Takahashi-Gonads.

[Tubby Beaver 209]

she a tory as well then?