Post-Baby Name Change: Yay or Nay?

BumpJackie · July 2014

If you didn't change your last name after tying the knot, did you change it once you were pregnant or baby was born?

Pix3lle · September 2014

I think it's really up to you!
I assume your baby has the fathers last name?
If you weren't initially compfortable changing your surname then maybe just keep yours. but if you really want to change it now, then go ahead! Nothing wrong with changing your name now

chucktgirl · November 2014

We're considering this right now. I don't think I will change my last name. BUT what do we name our baby? We are strongly considering Baby MomsLastName DadsLastName. It will be long, but I don't much care. Our other option is simply Baby DadsLastName. But I don't want there to be any disconnection from me. So, the pondering continues!

nightdreamer98 · November 2014

If you do both last names are you also going to have a middle name?

gadawgmom · January 2015

I think having both last name or a hyphenated name is a bad idea. I work in an office setting and people with those kinda names always get lost in the shuffle because they don't always use both names. So I would say pick a name and stick with it.

gemmafig · February 2015

I work in health care, and advise against hyphenation. My $0.02, but it gets very complicated, and frustrating, for the parents as well as the pharmacy, doctor, insurance. We know lots of people whose kids have the dads last name, or the moms last name. But, the parents don't share the same last name. It is what you are comfortable with. There is no right way anyway.
Also, check your state's law about changing your last name so far after the wedding. If that is the route you want to go. PA only gives you so long after the wedding, and then you have to get a lawyer and have the court approve it.

anorthro · March 2015

We are in a strange situation because we haven't changed our names. Mainly because my husband took his ex wife's last name and I didn't want to take it as my own. We are going to give the baby my last name, and my husband is now feeling some pressure to take my last name!

dramaphile · April 2015

I am going to change my name in a couple of months (after a trip out of the country, don't want to mess with anything passport-wise yet. Long story, but my husband changed his last name from his mom's name to his dad's. It was supposed to be done before we got married, but there was an issue with the court date and it didn't get done till after. Since he legally had his old name when we married, I couldn't change my name to his new name with the traditional marriage change. Thus, I have to go through a legal name change to take his name. We've been married five years, and I go socially by his name, but legally still have my maiden name because it's a big hassle to change. I do plan to get this done before baby is born in November, because i want the same last name as my child.

abbi1995 · May 2015

I'm in a weird situation. I live in ga and the baby isn't born yet. However I have a female fiancé. We are planning to get married and I am taking her name, but ga doesn't look at partners for birth certificates. So the baby wil be born and have to take my last name. Then she will go through second parent adoption and adopt the baby leaving me my rights and taking over hers. The baby can then have her last name , and we will marry and I will as well. Complicated but this is what I want

aluapaniri · May 2015

I didn't change my name and don't plan to, but we are planning to give the baby a first name, my last name for middle, and then my husbands last name. That way she has her dads name, without the confusion of a hyphenated name but still has some connection to my name.

Elsa1984 · June 2015

We had been together for five years before our daughter was born. She was going to have his last name, but honestly, it was a PAIN at the hospital we were at. Everything was listed under Baby Girl MaidenName or FirstName MaidenName. Even though we were filling out paperwork and continuously saying it was Baby Girl LegalName or FirstName LegalName. Due to hospital policy, babies of unwed mothers automatically get the maiden name for their last name. Even in the hospital, when they did things like hearing tests, they would say "she is under this name in the computer, but her is her certificate with the name you want to give her". Which meant that when we went for followup appointments, there were FOUR different names that she could have been listed under, and we were left standing there saying "try this one.........okay, try this one.....". We honestly didn't know what her name was, until her social security card came in the mail (thankfully, it was correct).

When it came to the birth certificate, she was given my last name, and her dad wasn't listed. We had to take documents to be notarized, he had to raise his hand and swear that he believed he was the father, and we had to send it to our state capital for documentation....and to get a birth certificate with him listed. After we got it in the mail, we were (supposed) to take it to our county clerk and have them update it to show that he was to be on the birth certificate. We never took it in, since we have the original copy.

Boy was it a HEADACHE! I told him that if we weren't married by the time we had kid #2, it was getting my last name because I wasn't going through all of that nonsense again!

Edited to add: We did eventually get married and have been together for 9 years, so it would automatically get his last name the next go round!

Post-Baby Name Change: Yay or Nay?

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