Name Change for Groom

We aren't doing that, but I quite like the idea of a 'smoodge' name and would have been open to that!

ie, Jones and Smith become Smones or Jith, Bradshaw and Connor become Bradnor or Conshaw.

Anyway, one of my fiance's work mates did a smoodge name and didn't mention having any issues at all.

Me and my husband both changed our name. (We took a different name, he didn’t take mine). As far as I know he didn’t have any issues. I don’t think anyone really mentioned it. He changed it 3 months before our wedding so it was easier for me. He had to petition and judge and pay a fee. It was an easy process. Just annoying because it does require an extra explanation and an extra piece of documentation for some processes.

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I meant after the wedding, without going to the court, same way that most brides do.

From what I understand, it’s much more complicated for men. It is not the same process as the standard after marriage name change. I’d check with your local department of social security.

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It should be the same, otherwise that's gender discrimination.

It’s the same process. You both can choose any new last name.

View Quoted Comment I completely agree and I don’t know for certain. I do have a male colleague who went through the process and he mentioned it was different than his wife’s. Again, I would reach out to the office to confirm.

If you mean he’s just going to take his spouse’s last name, it’s the same process. If they plan to create a new last name, that’s when the court would need to be petitioned first for one of them to change it before the wedding.

View Quoted Comment That might depend on the state. If he is taking your name I don’t see why he couldn’t go through the same process a woman would. If you are both taking a new name, as we did, it will differ. Some states let you choose your new name and put it on the marriage license. My state does not, so to save the time and money I would have had to spend if we both went to court, he changed his name first. It doesn’t change that he also changed his name.

If the husband is taking the wife's name and puts in on the wedding license/application, the process should be no different.

If the wedding has already happened, the names were not changed on this documentation, and the husband wishes to change his name later, the process might require an additional fee and court petition, but it really depends on the state.

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Of course it *should be* but it definitely isn't. Marriage is still strictly patriarchal, at least in the US. Whether or not a groom can change his name via the marriage certificate as easily as a bride can will completely depend on your jurisdiction. I know some states have changed their process to make it equitable, but that's probably still the minority.

It depends on the state. In Massachusetts, for example, there are a limited number of ways you are allowed to change your name on a marriage license/certificate, but the form says PARTY A and PARTY B instead of something gendered, so either person could change their name in one of the accepted ways (like if he's changing his last name to yours or adding yours to his) without having to go to court.