How likely are you take your partner's last name after marriage?

Ahhh weddings! Here at F Hinds, we’re big fans of the tradition, fuss, and celebrations that come along with the union of two people who are in love and eager to spend the rest of their lives together. 

From the meaning behind wearing the wedding band on your left hand, the colour of the bride’s dress to it being bad luck to see your other half the night before the ceremony, whilst certain wedding traditions have been around for many centuries, many still play a pivotal role in the many weddings that take place every day here in the UK.

One of the most significant of these traditions that couples must consider carefully, is whether the bride will opt to take on their partner's surname following the big day. Well, according to a 2019 survey, 90% of British women were found to have signed away their original surname in favour of their husband’s.

Despite this, in more recent years, conversations around whether this once popular tradition is somewhat outdated has been quite the heated topic. 

So, with this in mind, we were eager to learn whether this had led to any significant changes in how the nation really felt about this particular wedding tradition in 2023, and so we quizzed 2,000 engaged or married Brits to find out more.

Here’s what we learned…

The History Behind The Tradition

First things first, it’s important to explore and understand the history behind the name changing tradition. 

Well, in early medieval England, most people were known only by the first name they were given at birth. Understandably, as the population grew, it became harder for people to easily distinguish between the abundance of Richard’s or Mary’s that crossed their paths, and with this, surnames came about. 

Traditionally, women were seen as the possession of their fathers, and as such, they would take their father’s surname as their own. However, once they got married, they were deemed to be ‘passed on’ to their betrothed, which meant that wives were then believed to have become the property of their husband, which meant they should be named as such - hence then adopting their surname. 

How Do Brits Feel About The Tradition In 2023?

Luckily, much has changed on this front over the years, with the traditional and outdated reasoning behind doing so having been long forgotten.

Despite this though, it appears that there are still many individuals keen to embrace some marriage traditions, as according to the results of our study, more than a third of (38%) married or engaged couples in the UK say they would opt to take their partner's surname in lieu of their maiden name. 

Our survey also highlighted that women are still far more likely to take their partner's last name in comparison to men; with more than half (55%) admitting they would do so, compared to only one in six (15%) men.

So Why Do Brits Opt To Change Their Surname Once Married?

Next, we quizzed our willing participants about the top reasons behind them opting for a change of surname post-marriage in 2023.

According to our data, a third of those surveyed said taking their other half’s surname after they married was ‘just something they wanted to do’ (34%). This was discovered to be the driving force behind a change in surname for almost of men who opted to do so (47%), compared to just a third of women (32%).

A further third said they simply like the tradition of doing so, despite there being no religious or cultural reasons behind their decision (34%). This is in comparison to just three in 50 (6%) who cited the tradition of their religion or cultural as being their key reasoning.

For others, the choice to take on their spouse’s name is down to something as simple as preferring it over their own, something that resonated with almost one in ten (9%) of those we spoke to. This was discovered to the case for one in nine men (12%), but fewer than one in ten women (9%).

Exploring the data in more detail, our team learned that despite the one in six men (15%) who said they would or had opted to adopt their partner's surname after they married, it was still resoundingly women who chose to do so (56%). 

Tradition, albeit not for religious or cultural purposes, was cited as the top reason behind a name change amongst those aged 65+, the highest percentage in the study. 

That said, this age group also had the highest number of respondents who said they had made the change in name owing to their cultural or religious traditions (11%). In comparison, this was the case for zero percent of those aged between 18 and 24.

Over a fifth (22%) of those within this age group did say that they would change their name as enjoyed the non-cultural or religious traditions associated with doing so, however, this was the group with the lowest number of respondents who would do so.

Interestingly, when quizzed, more men (5%) than women (3%) stated they believed their partner would expect them to make the change.

Where In The UK Are People More Likely To Take On Their Partner's Name?

Regionally, we discovered that Southampton residents who are either engaged or married are the ones most likely to take on their partner's last name, with over half of respondents (56%) admitting that this was part of their wedding plans. 

Newcastle (49%), Norwich (49%), Liverpool (49%) and Cardiff (44%) were also found to have the highest numbers of married or engaged residents looking to follow this tradition. 

Those most likely to make the switch due to their love of the tradition, but not due to religion or culture, were Newcastle residents (53%), with half or the married and engaged community of Belfast agreeing with them (50%).

In comparison, this was found to be the case for just a fifth (21%) of married or engaged Birmingham residents. Instead, the West Midlands city had the highest number of respondents who simply stated it was ‘just something they wanted to do’ (48%)

Whilst for more than one in ten (11%) of those in Norwich, religious or cultural affiliation was their key reason for taking their partner's surname after marriage, the highest number in our study.

Great Expectations

Finally, for a fifth of Belfast residents (20%), pressure due to their partner's expectations around the tradition meant they felt the need to do so. Again, this was the highest percentage of people who’d voted for this reason, that came to light in our study.

However, according to the findings, it is the Northern city of Sheffield that actually has highest percentage of married of engaged residents that responded that they have expectations around their partner taking their name (50%). 

Leeds (45%), Glasgow (38%), Edinburgh (38%) and Bristol (38%), also had high numbers of residents who agreed with this statement. 

In comparison, both Newcastle and Southampton had the lowest percentage (both 26%), followed by Manchester, Birmingham (both 27%), and Norwich (29%).

Most Popular Surnames Across The Country

Following the results of our survey, we were eager to learn more about just what the most popular surnames across the country are.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, it turns out that the most common surname in the UK is Smith with approximately 632,854 people bearing this as their last name. 

On the other hand, the least common surname for UK residents is Heywood with just 8,097 people having it as their last name. 

The UKs Least Common Surnames

Conclusion

It’s great to see people taking such a flexible approach to the traditional of changing their surname post-big day! Whilst it may have once been the ‘done thing’, it’s an undoubtedly big decision and something best talked through with your other half in the lead up to the wedding.

For some, tradition and fuss is everything they’ve ever dreamed of for their big day, for others, going against the grain and opting to do things slightly differently in a way to best suit them and their loved one is the way to go. There really is no right or wrong here.

Ultimately whether you decide to take on your partner's name, have a traditional white wedding dress or a classic engagement ring, whichever traditions you decide to incorporate into your big day, it your day, so enjoy every minute of it!