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Women's Surnames: Decisions, Interpretations and Associations with Relational Qualities

There has been little systematic empirical research to date concerning women's choices to change or keep their surnames upon marriage. This study of 110 women employs a dialectical perspective to explore women's decisions concerning their surnames. Specifically, we identify the issues involved in making this decision, examine associations between the surname chosen and relational qualities (satisfaction, love, commitment, intimacy) and interpret the meanings of the surname in association with meanings of marriage for these women. A combination of open-ended questions and scale measures was used. The results show that while name changers, name keepers and name combiners consider different issues when making their decisions, there are no significant differences in the three groups' relational characteristics. However, the meanings of marriage for these three groups clearly differ. The authors suggest avenues for further research.