Today, that is simply not the case. Marriage. Hyphenating child's name after divorce. We are still in a custody battle and in a conflicting relationship. A name change for a minor must go through Court of Common Pleas, and the judge must weigh a number of factors in deciding whether or not to allow the name change. "We both produced him. That may involve one spouse taking the other spouse's last name, one hyphenating their previous last name with their spouse's last name, or … My husband changed his name right after we got married three years ago. The child has been using the hyphenated name for a number of years, and she is generally known in the community by her hyphenated name. For example, if your last name is Smith and the mother’s last name is Brown, a judge could change your child’s name to Smith-Brown. It seems no one will let me take his name without legally changing it in court -- a process that will cost about $300. The child considers her last name to be Esquenazi-Eberhardt as evidenced by, among other things, the fact that she regularly writes the hyphenated name. Because there are so many factors, an attorney would need to know a great deal of information before being able to assess your chances of the name change being granted. "Our baby will be taking my wife's last name," says one expecting BabyCenter dad. Now we are expecting our first child and I want to hyphenate my name with his. Anyone is free to keep their own name, hyphenate their name with a spouse's name, take their spouse's name, or come up with a completely different name altogether. Now that the "hyphen generation" is marrying … ... my brothers kid was adopted. Hyphenating your last name is one way people choose to change their names after getting married. I've a 5yo daughter; been divorced from ex almost 5 years; he filed divorce right after baby was born. Baby gets the mom's name. The practice of hyphenating last names upon marriage was particularly popular in the 1980s and '90s. And when their son, Alistair, was born, hyphenating his last name was the only option in their minds. Pros: The hyphenated surname lets you share your family name with your spouse and is a popular option for couples who want their children to have both last names. Our marriage certificate has his old name. While most women anticipate getting married someday, very few of us give much thought to the concept of name change. We thought his name should reflect both of us," Erin says. Pros: Although this arrangement is much less common (4 percent of families, according to BabyCenter's survey), it's a good choice if sharing a name with the kids is more important to the mother than to her partner, or if she wants to encourage the child to identify with her heritage. Judges have done so in the past because the hyphenated name becomes a symbolic reminder to the child of his or … 4 years ago I asked the Family Court to allow to hyphenate last name or add my last name to our daughters name (which my ex was opposing). Hyphenating your last name after marriage is a good option to maintain your own identity while legally adopting your spouse's surname at the same time. Name change after marriage is a big decision. Hospitals maintain and register the child under the admitted patient's last name so our child in the nursery was the mothers last name … Once you change your name to a hyphenation, though, that's just the beginning. Many people believe that in a marriage one spouse is required to legally change their last name to match the other spouse's last name. For many people, a name change is cause for congratulations. Cons: A hyphenated last name is sometimes long, and people tend to drop the second last name when space is an issue. 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