Last Name - Hyphenate, Two Last Names, Maiden Name as Middle Name

Following, because I am curious as to what to do with my last name as well.

I have two last names from birth and it's been fine. You will have issues. You may have to remind people of your other last name. It hasn't been a huge burden for me.

I am dropping my middle name and will change my maiden name to my middle name. At first I was going to hyphenate, but FH did not like that idea.

I have heard hyphenating is a giant pain to deal with.

I am hyphenating (many of my colleagues have). Haven't heard of any issues. But as OG Alecia said, maiden for professional, married for social.

I'm thinking about hyphenating only because I have an established career.

I have been hyphenated since birth. Cannot wait to drop everything and just have one last name. Every certificate, document, ID, EVERYTHING is always impossible to deal with. I can't cash checks certain places, my mail gets lost, will call tickets will end up under the wrong name, it's brutal. Don't do it.

I am changing my maiden name to a 2nd middle name. I feel like having 2 middle names is less complicated than 2 last names.

Im still on the fence about hyphenating or having two last names

I'm legally keeping my maiden name and socially hyphenating it.

I'm actually changing mine, it's easier for me

I have two last names. In the past 24 years I've only encountered issues twice. My parents encountered an issue once. As long as you keep track of everything you should be fine.

I wanna hyphen but it's gonna be so long!! But his last name is so common- we've had issues with his identity. I'm afraid of the same thing happening specially with my license and stuff.

I'm planning to use double last names, unhyphenated -- we both have short easy to pronounce last names, so it shouldn't be too much of a hassle. Even with both of our last names it's still only 9 letters.

My FH has two last name i have a first middle and a last name i wanted to hyphenate my name then i said for get go with tradition and take his name so that what i doing

I'm choosing to drop my middle name and replace it with my maiden name. Simply because I have a long middle name (which I cannot ever remember using) and FH has a longer last name, so having both would make my name entirely too long to sign!

I'm pretty sure most if not all states do not legally recognize two separate last names unless they are hyphenated which makes it legitimately one last name. When you say two last names (no hyphen) I think you might mean the situation where the woman has added her maiden name to become a second middle name--this is what I did and it's becoming more common. So my new name as listed on my license and SSA card is Kari Jean Smith Jones (* ) and I'll sign it that way on official docs or as Kari Smith Jones, it looks like two last names but in reality the maiden is a 2nd middle.

*alias

As someone who works in health care... If you hyphenate, your insurance company will never get it right. Lol

Thanks everyone. I have decided not to go with hyphenating and will decide between two last names and maiden name as a middle name.

@Kari - The state of California recognizes two last names and I have several friends who have done it.

A friend of mine hyphenated and she keeps telling me that it was a bad choice. I'll drop my middle name and keep my maiden name as my middle. Love my initials either way