Does Geography Affect People’s Choice to Change Their Surname After Marriage?

Our research concerned the relationship between geography, and whether people choose to change their last names after marriage. We were interested in this topic because we pondered on the idea of whether there were other factors outside of family and beliefs that acted as a socializing agent that impacted an individual’s choice to change their last name after marriage. This topic is sociologically relevant because it helps people better understand how society is slowly beginning to change by geographic region, and also how traditions that sociologically impact individuals and communities are now beginning to change. Our literature review supports our hypothesis, as in recent years many people have opted not to change their last names after marriage, but this has been increasingly prevalent when taking into consideration the different geographic regions these individuals live in. Throughout our research and findings, our theory that geography can greatly influence a person's choice to change names has been proven right, especially through our sample population for our surveys and interviews. Our findings proved our hypothesis right, showing that of the 20.4% of female respondents who live in the city, a majority (54.5%) of them chose to keep their respective last names rather than change them. On the other hand, of the remaining 68.5% of female respondents, who grew up in the suburbs, a plurality of them (40.5%) claimed that they would change their last names after marriage. This is significant because it goes on to prove our hypothesis correct, and the idea that geography greatly impacts the choices an individual makes in regards to their life and identity. Essentially, this goes on to support our argument that geography does indeed affect an individual’s choice of either keeping their last name or changing it after marriage.