Keeping The Maiden Name After Marriage

Indian women have always had two identities! No, don’t get that the wrong way. What’s being talked about here is nothing more than their names. They’ve shared two identities because of their names. If you have also grown up in one of the typical households of India then changing of name after marriage is nothing new for you. You all must be quite acquainted with the fact that women tend to give up on their name, and their own identity once they get married.

It’s the 21st century now and women have become more independent and empowered. They know what a name means to them and have voiced their opinions on keeping the maiden name even after marriage. It’s not only about women becoming empowered; it’s more about their professional and personal life balance.

Before talking about ways to retain that prestigious maiden name, let’s first know some reasons why women are no more interested in taking up their husband’s surnames.

Reasons Why Women Stick To Their Maiden Name After Marriage

• Official Work: Yes, for all the corporate women out there, it’s a major problem when you get married and need to get all your official details changed because of this name change.
• Documents And Certificates: What if you have a PhD degree under your maiden name, then it’ll become all the more difficult. Similarly, all other important documents that carry your maiden name cannot be changed.
• Unlikely Husband’s Name: Many women give this as the reason for not taking up their husbands' names. They don’t like the surname of their future husband.
• Love Your Name: The reason why most of the girls don’t want to change their maiden name is that they have grown up to be known by that name and are totally in love with it. They do not want to give up on their name just because they are tying the knot now.

Ways To Keep Your Maiden Name After Marriage: Having talked about the reasons why women want to keep their maiden name after marriage, it’s time we tell them some ways how to actually profess this ideology to attain matrimonial bliss.

• Change Of Title: The simplest and most easy way to keep your maiden name and still show the world that you are married is by giving up on the ‘Miss’ title and taking up the title of ‘Mrs.’. This does not call for any type of document alteration or change. You get your name as it is and at the end, you also tell the world that you are no more a single woman.
• Addition Of Surname: Many women of the present times can be seen following this tradition where they don’t change their maiden name but just add their husband’s surname at the end of their own. Like if you are Priya Garg before marriage and your husband’s name is Rahul Kapoor then your name would become Priya Garg Kapoor after you get married to him.
• Double-Barrelled Surname: Depending on what you like, you can get a double-barreled surname. After the Indian marriage, the woman can keep her husband’s surname before her original surname. Like if you are Priya Garg before marriage and your husband’s name is Rahul Kapoor then you can change your name to Priya Kapoor Garg or Priya Garg Kapoor, depending on your liking.

Always remember that there are no rules in the Indian constitution that bar you from keeping your maiden name after marriage. You have all the rights to keep your maiden name after you get married or change it as you please but no one can force you for the same. Matchmaking, not just in hobbies, but also in surnames can be one good option to avoid the confusion of getting names changed.