WHAT'S IN A NAME?
My entire life, I assumed I would change my last name after I got married. Then I went to law school and got a shiny new J.D. and law license with “Robinson” on them. A couple years later I started this blog, aptly named “Robinson Style.” As the years passed, my name became more than my personal identity. My name is a part of my brand.
Before Michael and I got engaged, I was adamant about NEVER changing my name. Do I want to go through the hassle of changing my name (new SSN card, Drivers License, etc.)? Are we any less married if I don’t change my name? These are questions I would ask myself and I would always answer with a resounding “hell nah!” Now that we are engaged, I’ve started thinking about this more and more. Now that I’m actually faced with the decision and I have less than a year to decide, I’m honestly at a loss.
On one hand, of course my soon-to-be husband wants me to have the same last name. I’m also realizing that although I was dead set on never changing my last name, I actually want to have the same last name as my husband. Also, changing my last name legally doesn’t mean I have to change the name of this blog and it doesn’t mean that my degrees and license are any less mine. There are plenty of successful women who change their name legally but not professionally/socially. What if we have children? Are they going to feel weird that mommy has a different last name than them? I am leaning towards hyphenating my last name but people remind me of how big a pain-in-the-ass my signature will be. Did I add that I don’t want to drop my middle name either? Is a first, middle and hyphenated last name too much?
I joke that I will change my last name as long as I can get cute monogrammed pieces like my Pop & Suki camera bag…lol. But really, I think this will be a decision I’m grappling with until we say “I do.” Pray for me ya’ll.
Did you change your name? Are you getting married and deciding? Please share your name change stories!