Deciding to Keep Your Married Name After a Virginia divorce

If you're getting aVirginiadivorce, you have so many things to think about: your finances, consultations with your attorney, the well being of your children, and the fair distribution of property, to name a few. The decision of whether to keep your married name or revert to your maiden name may not be high on your list of concerns, but it can be one way to take control of your life after divorce. 

You name is a major part of who you are. It's on all your identification documents, your business cards, and your Internet accounts. A name is normally something that can be changed easily or without forethought, at least if you want to make the change legal. 

At the time of marriage, a woman has a decision to make: take her husband's name or keep her own. Many women today still take their husband's name when they marry, and are known by their married name throughout their marriages. When divorce becomes a reality, they're faced with yet another decision. 

Reestablishing Your Identity after Virginia Divorce 

It's been fairly common – even fashionable – during the last few decades for a woman to go back to her birth name once she got a divorce. It was a way to re-establish her identity, declare her independence, and start over fresh in life. While this is a valid choice, it definitely isn't the only one. Plenty of women choose to stick with their married names, for a variety of reasons: 

• Business. If a woman has been using her married name for many years while establishing her career or business, it may not be a good idea to change her name once divorced. If clients and colleagues know you by a certain name, and you have a reputation attached to it. It makes sense to continue using your married name.
• Sake of children. Divorce divides a family, and can be a difficult experience for the kids involved. Some mothers feel that by keeping the same last name for everyone, she is maintaining a sense of family solidarity despite the fact that she and the children's father are no longer a couple.
• Preference. In some cases, a woman keeps her married name because she likes the way it sounds, she is used to it, or she doesn't feel strongly enough about changing it to go through the paperwork involved. It is completely legal to hold on to your married name after your Virginia divorce, so there are no legal steps you need to take to continue using it. 

Contacting a Virginia Divorce Attorney 

The decision to file for divorce usually comes at the end of a long and painful journey. In addition to the emotional turmoil involved, there is also a lot of fear and uncertainty about what the future holds. Concerns about children, mortgages, paying bills, or buying groceries can easily become overwhelming. 

A Virginiadivorce attorney at Hofheimer Family Law Firm can examine the specifics of your case to help you decide how much support to ask for, what child custody arrangement will work best for you and your children, and how to fairly divide your marital assets. Request a FREE copy of our divorce book for women in Virginia, or reserve your seat at our monthly divorce seminar – 757-425-5200.