I don't get when people say that a woman honors her husband by taking his name upon marriage. Seems to me, by that idea, the man completely disrespects the wife. After all, he doesn't take her name. Taking the man's name dates back to a time when marriage was usually arranged and almost always either a form of subjugation for the woman; or, in the case of women privileged enought to be born to court, an ambitious political move. Honor rarely had anything to do with it. I should point out that I took my husband's name-- by the present day, it's tradition to do so. Tradition, not honor. I honored him by marrying him, not by taking his name. And as an added bonus, it simplifies the logistics of marriage. It's a lot easier to fill out forms without having to write two complete names, there's no question about the kids last names, and everyone knows we're a family. But a lot of the women I work with get so worked up over this topic. They seem to think it's some kind of unspeakable evil for a woman not to do; that the woman is some kind of psychotic she-devil, radically independant and all that. It's a name for goodness sake. A name! My name has nothing to do with who I am. I could keep my maiden name, or I could change my name to Bozo the Clown. I'm still me. Taking a new name doesn't change who you are. It shouldn't. Who you are is a result of the sum of your life experience, the choices you've, things you've learned. It has nothing to do with what people call you. Or what you choose to call yourself.