Married And Maiden Names
A married name is a family name or surname adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of his or her spouse, this name replaces the person's original maiden name or birth name.
The term "birth name" is a synonym for "maiden name," and has been increasingly used in place of it, or interchangeably with it, since the 1970s. Feminists prefer "birth name" as a more accurate label for the name received at birth, compared with maiden name, which has been criticized as being archaic and having sexual double standard implications.
The term "maiden name" is rarely applied to the change of family names by men, or by either sex other than in connection with marriage. "Birth name" is sometimes used specifically as a gender-neutral (or male only) substitute for "maiden name."
In some jurisdictions, changing one's name requires a legal procedure; however, in some jurisdictions, anyone who either marries or divorces may change his or her name if he or she wishes. Due to increasing security and identification needs, even where it is legal, the common law method is rarely accepted anymore except at marriage (especially for women). Traditionally in the Anglophone West, only women do so, but sometimes men change their last names upon marriage as well. In the United States, only seven states have an official name change for a man as part of their marriage process, others may petition a court, or, where not prohibited, use the common law method (though sometimes not recognized by government agencies for men). Due to the widespread tradition of women changing their names at marriage, they encounter little difficulty using the common law method at marriage in those jurisdictions that permit it.
Read more about Married And Maiden Names: Customs Relating To Maiden Names in Marriages, Same-sex Marriages, Legal Status of Name Changes At Marriage, Feminism and Preserving One's Personal Name, Genealogy
Famous quotes containing the words married and, married, maiden and/or names:
“Hello, Arthur. This is your mother. Do you remember me? . . . Someday youll get married and have children of your own and Honey, when you do, I only pray that theyll make you suffer the way youre making me. Thats a Mothers Prayer.”
—Mike Nichols (20th century)
“And wow he died as wow he lived,
going whop to the office and blooie home to sleep and
biff got married and bam had children and oof got fired,
zowie did he live and zowie did he die,”
—Kenneth Fearing (19021961)
“That is the man all tattered and torn
That kissed the maiden all forlorn”
—Mother Goose (fl. 17th18th century. The House That Jack Built (l. 2930)
“Far from being antecedent principles that animate the process, law, language, truth are but abstract names for its results.”
—William James (18421910)