30 Per Cent Of Women Buck Name Change Tradition

New figures launched by The Legal Deed Poll Service, the UK's leading Deed Poll provider indicate that 30 per-cent of women are now refusing to take their partners name after marriage, a five per-cent increase on last year. End Quote

(1888PressRelease) April 19, 2011 - The new figures demonstrate a societal shift with more and more women opting for double barrelled names or embracing the brand new trend for 'meshing', to create a new name entirely.

Tina Clough from The Legal Deed Poll Service said: "Over the last twelve months we have seen a marked increase in the number of Deed Poll applications for double barrelled names and from those seeking to 'mesh' both their own and their husbands name to create a new one entirely.

'Meshing' became the very latest US craze a number of years ago and involves joining together a couple's existing surnames to come up with a new one just for them. A similar phenomenon already exists with celebrities' first names, after all who can forget the Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck partnership labelled by the American media as 'Bennifer'?!

Tina added: "These recent figures are truly staggering and demonstrate a huge shift in society's views concerning marriage. Women seem to want to keep their identities and refuse to let marriage change them as individuals, with many women considering the career implications when making a decision on their choice of name.

"Many of the women we encounter at The Legal Deed Poll Service have strong views when it comes to traditional marital values, and for many of them meshing is seen as an attempt to banish the 'sexist' tradition of a woman taking her husband's name when she marries."

Whilst many ancestry experts claim that 'meshing' is the end of the line when it comes to tracing your family tree, many disagree and argue that immigrants have been settling in different countries and changed their names for many years, yet still their family history remains.

24 year old Lisa Wilkinson from Derbyshire opted to take her husband's name after marriage, she said: "When marrying my husband Andy, I felt that it was only right to take his name after marriage. As we were both keen to start a family, it was essential that we all had the same names.

"I think it is a real shame that so many women are bucking tradition and opting for double-barrelled names. Marriage is about tradition and commitment, and I firmly believe that changing your name is a huge part of that."

Meshing in particular seems to be a case of life imitating art, although it is debatable which will last longer: the trend, or the couples who choose to adopt it.

For more information, please visit http://www.thelegaldeedpollservice.org.uk/

Please direct all press enquiries to Tina Clough, Media Liaison Officer on 0330 660 0478. Calls are charged at standard/local rates.

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