Changing name after marriage vs keeping your own name

I've been married two years and have never been remotely interested in taking my husband's last name.  I don't see any point.  We are two separate people with individual identities, and I don't see why I should give up my last name.  I'm not a very traditional person, however.

Plus, my last name sounds so much nicer than his.   

I'm finding this all very interesting.  Obviously it is up to the individual, but just playing devil's advocate for a second - I'm not being critical of you Lindsay or anyone else - but why do people feel that having the same name as their husband leads to a loss of identity or individualism any more than having their father's name? (assuming it is their father's surname they started out with!). I can honestly say I do not feel any such loss, one year on from taking my husband's name. 

I agree with you to a point Liz... I don't think taking someone else's name necessarily equates a loss of independence. It seems there are so many factors here in the decision making process. I personally find either extreme a bit much which is why I am trying to find a 'middle path' - so to speak. I love my DF heart body and soul, but I don't think taking his name is necessary to show that. I have slightly different reasons to want to keep my name, as I've posted. And the DF and I had a bit of a disagreement over it. He thought it was because I was being overly feminist... but once he understood why I'm so 'attached' to it, he understood. Though I think secretly he's hoping that in a few years I'll just give it up! 

I don't actually consider myself a feminist, and perhaps you took what I said to be a concern with patriarchy, and if so you have assumed incorrectly.  Even if I was marrying a woman I would not take her name, and so your point about my name coming from my father is irrelevant.  It's simply the name I've had my entire life and I don't see any reason to change it just because I've decided to spend my life with someone.

Hi Lindsay,

As I said my comments were not intended as a criticism and I wasn't making any assumptions, I was merely asking out of curiosity, I wasn't asking just you but others as well as I have heard similar comments from other people at various times. Different strokes and all that, but no harm trying to understand other points of view. It took me a long time to decide whether to take my husband's name or not and I did worry that it might make me feel I had somehow lost part of my identity etc but in the end it hasn't made me feel that way at all and now that we are having a baby I am glad we all have the same name and can be easily identified as one family.  But that is my personal choice, just as your decision is your personal choice.