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Friday, September 12, 2014

Do You Change Your Surname After Marriage?




It has long been tradition for a woman to take the man's surname after they marry, but it also becoming very popular now for the man to take his wife’s surname. Obviously, there are a lot of conveniences in having the same surname, but it can be a big decision to make. Does this suit you both, and are you comfortable with it? So, what is the history of this tradition?

The female taking her husband’s surname is an old English custom, which eventually became the tradition in Anglicised neighbourhoods across the world, with English immigration and colonisation. This naming custom was a significant part of the then legal system, which then identified women as “property”. That type of marriage was a legal contract, which legally handed the "ownership" of the woman from her father to her husband. Fortunately times, and women, have changed, along with the “ownership” of the woman!

If you do decide to change your surname (male or female) after your marriage, you need to apply to your Department of Births, Deaths and Marriages, in the State in which you married, for your official Marriage Certificate. With this Certificate, you then need to apply to change your name with whichever agency you need to, such as license, voter roll, passport, ATO, bank accounts etc.

Source: 
1. http://womenshistorynetwork.org/blog/?p=307
2. http://www.bdm.vic.gov.au/home/change+of+name/change+your+name/change+of+name+after+marriage/

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