Married and Maiden Names - Same-sex Marriages

Same-sex Marriages

Public and legal acknowledgment of same-sex marriage is well established in some regions, though still uncommon due to its illegality in most regions. Trends in the nuptial naming practices associated with same-sex marriage are various and in flux. LGBT people may make such decisions on an individual basis. In some civil law jurisdictions like the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, same-sex spouses or registered partners have the same legal options as heterosexual spouses to acquire, or—in the case of the Netherlands—use, the other partner's surname. In anglophone Canada, married same-sex couples have the same naming and renaming rights as married opposite-sex couples.