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But it's not that easy. The other side of the issue is just as spirited, and many women adopt that Shakespearean adage, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet," and argue that a name is just that, a name, and not the essence of a person. Other women find fault with their own last names -- they dislike them, or they have issues with their own family -- so they seize the opportunity to change it.
There are a lot of opinions around this issue. Here is what iVillagers have to say on the question of what name to go by after marriage.
One name is better than two
"I took my husband's last name, and I changed my middle name to my maiden name. I think it is very confusing when the parents have two different last names; then what is the child's last name? And I would never subject my children to a hyphenated last name." --pam
"I had always thought I would keep my maiden name, because it meant a certain kind of pride in myself. However, when I finally met the man I wanted to marry, he told me that it didn't matter to him at all which name I used. So I decided to take his. I guess it's all a matter of timing. At this point in my life, keeping my maiden name or taking his doesn't really matter. I know who I am." --sc