My name has given me something to talk about. I didn't change it when I got married.

The author didn't change her last name when she got married.

Courtesy of the author

• I got married in October 2024 and knew I wasn't changing my last name to take my husband's.
• It had nothing to do with my career, I just couldn't imagine having another name.
• I didn't feel like my identity needed to change just because my marital status did.

I've long felt like I have a stage name. It's sing-songy, alliterative, and it rolls off the tongue.

When I got married last October...