"I did not take my husband's name for several reasons, but mainly because I was already a published writer under my birth name, I had many professional contacts who knew me by that name, and I just did not want to go through the hassle of making the change. Also, I LIKE my name." --Pam
The great compromise
"After much thought we decided to compromise. All our children will have my maiden name as their middle name. I agree that even though it took some time for me to get used to my new name, it will be nice for the family to have the same last name." --Kate
"I kept my maiden name because we are an all-girl family and my father died when my sisters and I were six and eight. He was an only child with an adopted sister who did not keep her maiden name, so the name is dying. I kept my maiden name to keep the memory of my father and grandfather alive. My name is hyphenated; it is long, but I would rather drop my husband's name than my maiden name any day." --quismom





