newsheaven

What's in a name? At first, it appears as an unsteady scrawl on the cover of a textbook or when being marked present during roll call. As time goes on, it shows up at the header of your resume, printed on your driver’s license, and—if fortune favors you—scribed on the title of a house. However, certain individuals might alter that title without fully comprehending the potential consequences of their choice—whether positive or negative. In the U.S., 80% of married women in opposite-sex relationships take their husband's surname, according to a study from Pew Research published last year. It's a trend that has showed little signs of fluctuating over the past couple of decades, though younger generations—those between ages 18 and 49—were twice as likely as those age 50-plus to keep their original surname. In spite of this, 73% of women below the age of 50 decided to adopt their spouse's last name. For each individual who decides, the choice is highly pe...