Would You Change Your Name For Your Marriage?

You name is your identity. It's how people know you're you. Even after you're dead, you'll still have your name. Nevertheless, would you make the sacrifice of losing the only name you've ever had for the sake of your marriage?

Joining last names at marriage is an important step in unifying the family. That's what Josiah Neufeld believed when he decided to take on his wife's last name when he got married. Josiah's essay in The Globe and Mail shows how much he thought about the affect of his name change would have on himself, his family and even his gender.

"I did it because I love Mona - because I wanted her to know that I didn't expect her to become anyone other than herself. It mattered to me that we shared a name, so I reasoned I should be the one to offer mine up. And a combination name like Neufeld-Thiessen would only solve the dilemma temporarily. Eventually a child of ours would bring this unwieldy last name to his or her own marriage - most likely to another hyphenee," says Josiah.

I've always given this situation some thought since I'm a victim of such a crazy last name (it's got w's that sound like v's, and people always emphasize the wrong syllables). Since I also believe that it's important to keep the same name in the family, it might be cool to even the playing fields with a completely neutral and legendary last name.

Have you ever met Mr. and Mrs. Awesome, and their kids Totally and Freakin'?

Let GroomStand know if you'd be willing to change your last name.