Opinion: You don’t have to be defined by who you marry

A woman taking the last name of her husband has been a tradition for so long, sometimes people don’t consider the history or the possible downsides to it.

Rachel Taye

A married woman writes her full name out on a sheet of paper. Opinion Columnist Adrian Maurer believes women shouldn’t be expected to change their last name after marriage. (Rachel Taye | Northern Star)

By Adrian Maurer, Columnist

Apr 9, 2026

It is a long-standing tradition for women to take the last name of their husbands after marriage. In fact, 79% of women in heterosexual marriages changed their last name after marriage.

The practice is expected, but it shouldn’t be.

There is a darker history behind why predominantly women give up their original last names. The concept comes from English coverture law. Under coverture law, women had no legal independence once they were married, instead becoming legal property of their husbands, they became “Mrs. (Husband’s Name Here).”

A major aspect of the advocacy for women’s rights involved fighting these laws, yet the practice of changing names has remained.

A woman having a “maiden” name – their family last name – is such a common occurrence that they are often used as security questions. It’s so expected of people that it can cause confusion if a married couple or their children have different last names. Names can be easily forgotten, erasing familial and cultural ties if they are not passed down through concrete records.

Changing names shouldn’t occur simply due to societal expectations, and it certainly shouldn’t be the default option. People shouldn’t feel obligated to change their name that they had a lifetime of memories and experience with.

The proposed SAVE act would also make voting harder for those who change their name. It would require proof of citizenship in order to vote.

For most, this can be accomplished with a passport or birth certificate. However, passports are not accessible to everyone due to the cost of procurement.

If a woman changed her name when she got married, and her legal name does not match her birth certificate, she may have difficulty registering to vote because of this discrepancy.

There was only one confirmed instance of noncitizen registration and zero instances of noncitizen voting according to the Vote.org page covering the SAVE act. Data from the U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services shows that just 0.04% of voter verification cases flag as potential noncitizens This act would theoretically disproportionately affect married women of all political affiliations, given that noncitizen voting isn’t as big of an issue as the act suggests.

If you hate your last name, or like the idea of having the same name as your new spouse, change it by all means. Just be prepared for what could come of it and the history of why it matters.