My fiancé and I feel no connection to our last names. We're debating whether to create a new one when we marry.

Tech Insider : Business
S. Nicole Lane leaning on her finace in a restaurant
The author and her fiancé are considering creating a new last name when they get married.

Samuel Gernand/The Gernands Photography

I've been married for three years and still haven't changed my last name. The longer I wait, the less I want to.

Tech Insider : Business
an unhappy couple on the couch
The author, not pictured, doesn't want to take her husband's last name.

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My best friend and I gave our daughters the same name. We hoped it would strengthen their bond.

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Dana DuBois and her best friend with their daughters
The author and her best friend gave their daughters the same name.

Courtesy of Dana DuBois

My daughter hates her name because it's traditionally used for boys. I hope one day she learns to love how different it is.

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View from behind of girl looking out window at dusk.
The author (not pictured) named her daughter Kyle and hopes she grows to love her name someday.

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After my divorce, I took back my old last name. I feel like I took back my identity.

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a woman looking out the window, happily
The author, not pictured, changed her last name after her divorce.

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I didn't take my husband's last name, and people are surprisingly judgmental. They ask what he thinks about it.

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Patricia Garrison and her husband smiling at the camera. He is wearing a button-up shirt and she is wearing a cream denim jacket.
Patricia Garrison didn't take her husband's last name when she got married.

Courtesy of Patricia Garrison

My husband and I waited for a sign before choosing names for our kids. Each time, we ended up with the perfect name.

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Composite image of the author with her husband and three kids standing behind a cake on the left, and the author with her three kids standing in front of a tree on the right.
The author and her husband waited for a sign before naming their three kids.

Courtesy of Melissa Noble

A naming expert says picturing your kid as a CEO before naming them can backfire. She recommends these 33 names for success.

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A baby lays on the floor, dressed in a full-sized pin-stripe suit.
A baby in a pin-stripe suit

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My foster mother hated her first name. I found another way to honor her after she died.

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Nicole Johnson with her foster mother, Esther, when she was younger. They are standing outside a car.
Nicole Johnson's foster mother, Esther, made her promise not to name her kids after her.

Courtesy Nicole Johnson

Will Ferrell doesn't know why he used to be embarrassed about his real name. We asked a clinical psychologist for her take on it.

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Will Ferrell posing at the 2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards
Will Ferrell was embarrassed to be called "John" at school.

Kayla Oaddams/ Getty Images

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