Behind the Headlines

USA Today has this report: 70 percent say brides should take husband’s name.

A snippet:

About 70% of Americans agree, either somewhat or strongly, that it’s beneficial for women to take her husband’s last name when they marry, while 29% say it’s better for women to keep their own names, finds a study being presented today at the American Sociological Association’s annual meeting in San Francisco.

The percentage of women in Monroe County, Mich., who take their husband’s names is much higher, based on a married name story I did in 2004. While the local marriage licenses don’t list which name a woman is using after marriage; the divorce records do indicate which name she used during marriage – and which name she is using afterward.

And here’s what I found: Statistics from the 712 divorces and annulments reported by Monroe County Circuit Court in 2003 showed 96 percent of the women had used their husband’s last name during the marriage. About 2 percent kept their maiden name throughout the marriage, and about 2 percent hyphenated both names.

From some anecodotal stories I’ve heard over the years in Monroe, the husband is often the one expecting the woman to change her last name or add his name to hers.

Now as an interesting follow-up: 30 percent of local women who took their husband’s name returned to their maiden name at divorce in 2003. A handful made other name changes, such as hyphenating both names.

More recent court records indicate that about two-thirds of local women are now taking a previous name back upon a divorce.

– Paula Wethington