Around the world, customs and laws differ regarding the changing and taking off of a woman’s maiden name.
In this article, we will be talking about some countries where women do not change their maiden names after marriage. Read on to know.
1. Iceland
Icelandic married women are not permitted to take their husband’s surname because, unlike other Western-countries, Iceland uses patronymic or matronymic references rather than family names.
2. Greece
In 1983, Greece enacted a law that says all women must keep their maiden name after marriage. This law was passed in the early 1980s when the country was emerging from dictatorship rule and rewriting its laws, customs, and constitution.
3. Italy
The custom of married women changing their maiden names after marriage doesn’t exist in Italy. A married Italian woman retains her maiden name but has the option of adding her husband’s surname after hers.
4. Quebec (Québec)
The laws of Quebec prohibit a woman from adopting her husband’s surname after marriage. Since 1981, married women in Quebec have been required by the civil code to keep their surname after marriage, thereby protecting the woman’s identity. Under Quebec law, a married couple may use each other’s surname by combining it with their birth name, but these names are not legally recognized. According to this law, a woman’s maiden name remains her legal name after marriage and cannot be changed without the court’s permission, which we can assure you is not an easy task.
5. Korea
Korean women keep their maiden names after marriage, as is customary in Korea. This is based on the traditional logical reasoning that it was passed down from their parents and ancestors and thus should not be changed.
