If you’ve been divorced

[Anonymous 1]

Did you go back to your maiden name? I’m trying to decide what I want to do. My oldest has her father’s last name, I share my stbxs last name with my younger two kids. So if I change back I won’t match anyone. And I remember it being a major PITA to change it when I got married, I assume it’s the same in reverse? Ugh.

[SallyMae]

I used the occasion of my divorce to pick a last name I liked. I married from Johnson to Wilson and when I got divorced I could see little point in changing from one dull name back to the other. I instead chose my mom's maiden name, it's interesting and goes well with my first name. All I had to do was show my divorce papers at the DMV to get a name change of my choice.

[Slimshandy]

Go with your real name. Whatever you feel like that is.

I never changed my name even after marriage because I thought my name was too precious to my identity to give up.

[Anonymous 2]

Go with your real name. Whatever you feel like that is.

I never changed my name even after marriage because I thought my name was too precious to my identity to give up.

This. Same.

[sarah824]

I got married to my HS sweetheart a few years after we graduated. We were married for about 5-1/2 years. I took his name and I kept it when we divorced because it was MY name and it was how I was known at work. When I got remarried a few years later I took DH's name and that is what I have used for 20 years. If we were to divorce I would keep it.

[Anonymous 1]

I used the occasion of my divorce to pick a last name I liked. I married from Johnson to Wilson and when I got divorced I could see little point in changing from one dull name back to the other. I instead chose my mom's maiden name, it's interesting and goes well with my first name. All I had to do was show my divorce papers at the DMV to get a name change of my choice.

I never considered that I could change to something else. I do like my mom’s maiden name. Maybe I could go by that. Bc I don’t really want to be associated with stbx any more then I already have to.

[carterscutie85]

I'd keep my married name if I got divorced. It wasn't actually a pain to change it when I got married. Just timely but I got it all done within half a day.

[Rosehawk]

Yes, I took my maiden name again. There was no way in hell I was going to keep that possessive-abusive asshole's name.

[Anonymous 3]

No but only because business signs and my certificates had my married name on them. When I retire or change careers I may then change back to my maiden name.

[Traci_Momof2]

If I got divorced now I'd still keep my married name because I've had my married name for more of my life than I had my maiden name.

When my parents got divorced my mom kept her married name while my sister and I were still minors. She felt it made everything easier to have the same last name as her kids, and from my POV it did.