Should I Change My Last Name Professionally after Marriage?
“He numbers the stars, and gives to all of them their names.” (Psalm 147:4).
Are you a professional who has established a solid identity in your line of work using your maiden name? If wedding bells are in your near (or more distant) future, would you consider changing your last name professionally after marriage? Or maybe you have a family member, friend or colleague who will be walking down the aisle and is considering whether to change their name for professional purposes. If you can relate, then this article is for you. Here, I will share some musings from my experience when deciding whether to modify my name professionally after marriage as a Catholic woman in a secular workplace.
Discern what you are called to do
Whether to keep, alter, or change your name professionally after marriage is a personal decision. If there is one key point to be taken away after reading this article, it is that there is no cookie-cutter answer here. The right choice is to make an informed decision that you are comfortable with and that works for you. Know that you are not stuck in your decision for the rest of your career. If circumstances change, and you feel called to make a different choice later on regarding your professional name, then you absolutely can change your original choice.
I strongly recommend having honest conversations with your spouse-to-be, family members, and others you trust as you make your decision. You will certainly get advice (some solicited and likely much unsolicited) from a slew of individuals with good intentions. Don’t forget to include God by offering up your decision-making process in prayer. The feedback you receive from others are valuable pieces of information that should be considered, but ultimately you must discern and decide.
Indeed, there are pros and cons to keeping your maiden name, switching to a modified (such as a double-barreled name), or completely adopting a new last name after marriage for professional purposes (which may be the same or different for social/personal purposes). A detailed assessment is beyond the scope of this piece.
In my line of work (a PhD researcher and professor in the sciences at a research-intensive, post-secondary institution), it is uncommon for someone to modify their last name after marriage. The colleagues that I spoke to while pondering my decision eight years ago, unanimously (regardless of gender) strongly advised me against altering my name professionally. I nevertheless chose to change my professional name by creating an unhyphenated double-barreled name, appending my husband's surname after mine. For me, it was the right decision to ensure consistency with my pre-marriage professional contributions (which was particularly pertinent as I was on the job market immediately following my wedding) and to simultaneously serve as an outward link between my husband and I, which was personally important for me.
Inform your network and be prepared to (gently) correct
If you do change your name, you will need to inform your network of the change and start using your new name. There will be some administrative hurdles. Amend your email signature, business cards, your website, professional online profiles, and other sources pertinent to your situation. Inform your employer, if applicable. Depending on what is considered the norm at your workplace, if you choose to retain your name professionally, you may still need to inform your colleagues of that choice.
If you have chosen to modify your name professionally, even after informing your network, some colleagues will unintentionally forget to refer to you by your new name and others may insist on calling you by your previous name for whatever reason. Always handle these occurrences with grace and give the person the benefit of the doubt. Be patient and gently correct.
For me, I liked how modifying my name for professional purposes served as an additional nod toward the connection between my spouse and I, similar to the outward sign of wearing a wedding band. Does that make people who choose to retain their maiden name (either professionally or personally) after marriage less committed to their spouse? Of course not. Similarly, there is no correlation between a name change and whether one is a "good" Catholic at work or at home. If you or someone in your circle is contemplating whether to go by a different name professionally after marriage, first and foremost, congratulations on the upcoming union(!), and second, I hope that these tips are useful.
Sarah Gagliano Taliun is a genetics professor with many interests in addition to studying DNA. She and her husband now call Montreal home. When she is not reading a scientific article or meeting with students, Sarah can be found experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen, reading her Bible or taking a walk in nature.