Is Changing Your Last Name Costing You Career Clout?

Saying goodbye to your maiden name and taking on your his last name comes with a sacrifice.

When a woman is set to get married, society assumes she’ll ditch her maiden name for her partner’s last name. However, this societal norm is a sacrifice that can impact the working woman’s brand and career opportunities, exchanging their previous identity for a new one. 

“When a woman changes her last name, it’s like an abrupt rebranding that often results in a name recognition gap both in professional networking/reputation and also with regard to credentials and records,” Nikki Innocent, Holistic Career Coach, told MadameNoire. 

‘I’m just not a traditional woman’ 

Artrella Speed, once formerly known as Artrella Speights for 12 years after her marriage, took time to finalize her decision to change her last name.

“When I got married, I was really still trying to figure out if I wanted to hyphenate my last name,” Speed, 45, told MadameNoire. “I always wanted to keep my last name just because it was a part of who I am, and I’m just not a traditional woman in the sense of, ‘I need to drop my last name in order to take on my husband’s name.’”

Speed, who got married to her college sweetheart, felt it was important for her to hold on to her maiden name to avoid losing who she is. 

“Honestly, it took me almost 12 years or so to actually go down to the Social Security office and change my name. I had gone down there maybe once or twice, but I got discouraged because it’s such long lines,” she admitted.

However, once a new career opportunity arose, Speed decided it was time to start her new chapter under her husband’s last name instead of her maiden name, Speights. 

“It kind of forced me to go down to the Social Security office and change my last name. I was able to keep my maiden name as my middle name and take on my husband’s last name,” she added. 

Despite changing her last name years after establishing her career, Speed felt that the name change didn’t impact her profession. 

“I really honestly believe it has no bearing on your career,” she stated.

Meanwhile, career experts reveal how some women committed to the name change have faced stepbacks in their career paths.

“Often, researchers who are women find a drop-off in acknowledgment of their previous work under their maiden name, which can impact their ability to be considered for grants, tenure, and other opportunities,” Innocent explained. 

Brides hyphenating their maiden  name

Meanwhile, Catherine Delcin, 42, also known as Mrs. Delcin-Zipla, knew changing her name was not the right career move as an attorney and owner of Delcin Consulting Group.

Innocent states that “Women who retain their maiden name have been shown in studies to be perceived as more ambitious, professional, independent, competent and authoritative.”

When the Florida attorney married her husband in 2021, the pair decided she would keep her maiden name officially so it wouldn’t conflict with her law firm, Delcin Consulting Group, which started in 2011. However, personally she hyphenates her name as Delcin-Zipla. 

“Legally I never even formalized the change because of the implications,” Delcin-Zilpa confessed to Madame Noire. 

She wanted to avoid any branding inference that could impact the firm, such as legal documentation, company name recognition, or clients not acknowledging her as the owner.

“Given how much we rely on technology, with a heavily search-optimized lifestyle, algorithms, search engines, social media, etc, are not optimized to recognize name changes and, as a result, often disregard or completely erase the achievements of a woman under her maiden name,” Innocent said.

A Business Owning Bride

Even when the Pompano Beach attorney uses her hyphenated name in a business setting, colleagues often question whether she owns the firm.

“People would ask when I show up on Zoom, and it’s Catherine Delcin-Zilpa, ‘So did your dad start the firm? Is the firm for a family member of yours?’ So even walking into that conversation clarifying, ‘No, it’s my firm’ takes away from what I’m trying to accomplish,” she shared. 

Delcin-Zilpa admitted the decision was not made lightly. She and her husband took their time to make this decision before officially committing to it.

The attorney revealed that if she had not been a business owner prior to her union, she would have carried her husband’s last name because she believes in honoring that part of marriage.

Career coaches continue to encourage brides to evaluate all the complications that come with name changes, especially if you have a well-known name in your industry.

For example, if an old colleague is looking to hire someone of your expertise but can’t find you online anymore because you dropped your maiden name, this could exclude you from many career opportunities and growth. 

“Changing your last name might leave your former colleagues playing detective. “Whatever happened to Jane Smith who nailed that big campaign?” They’d never know she’s now Jane Johnson. Suddenly, your career progress looks like it’s been ghosted,” Veronica West, a psychologist, told Madame Noire. 

In order to avoid ghosting your colleagues, West recommends being prepared for a professional rebrand by updating all online platforms.  

“Changing your name professionally is like running a marathon in heels. You’ll need to update email signatures, business cards, LinkedIn, and every digital footprint that connects to your work,” West continued. 

Out with the old, in with the new

Da’Ishah Ricketts, once known by her maiden name Collie, had no issue rebranding her online presence once she got married to her husband in 2024. 

“I did not keep my maiden last name,” Ricketts told Madame Noire. “Taking on his last name was like a breath of fresh air to me. It signifies us becoming one and thus having the same last name.”

Although Ricketts, 26,  has accomplished many accolades throughout her career with her maiden name, she doesn’t believe those achievements will mean any less now that she carries her husband’s last name.

“My previous accolades under my maiden name were achieved in a different part of my life so it’s okay that they show a different last name because that’s who I was at that time,” the Tallahassee, Florida resident said. “It’s important to note that even with a new last name, those are still my achievements and will follow with my new name. For example, I am Da’Ishah Ricketts, M.S.Ed, B.S.W. The credentials still follow.”

Even with pushback from her family members encouraging her to hyphen her last name, Ricketts knew dropping her maiden name and taking on her husband’s was the divine decision for the couple. 

“To me, there is power in others calling me by my husband’s last name because through doing that, they acknowledge that I am a married woman,” Ricketts continued. “It also signifies the honor and respect that I have for him and our covenant that we made together.”

Miss to Mrs has its downfalls

Regardless of whether you change your last name, once you go from Miss to Mrs., Innocent revealed that married women receive less work compensation. 

“There is evidence that married women make less than single women, often referred to as the “marriage penalty,” while men often see an increase in their pay after marriage,” Innocent said. 

Her research supports the 2020 US Census Bureau, which found that single women without children under 35 make an average of 8% more than married women at the same age.

Innocent concludes, “While it may seem like a simple name change form, it’s quite obvious that the perception shift is not simple at all.”