Third of women want to keep their maiden name after marriage

More than a third of single women plan to keep their maiden name when they get married and seven per cent of married women refused to take their husband's name.

A proud 45 per cent of those say they don't want to lose their family name while 41 per cent just prefer their own name to their husband's.

But the poll by Debenham's Wedding Gift Service revealed that men aren't happy at the new trend -51 per cent say they would be extremely offended if their wife didn't take their family name.

A third of men went as far to say they would DEMAND their fiance to take their name when tying the knot.

And it doesn't end there - more than 70 per cent want their children to have the same surname as them, regardless of whether or not their wife takes it as well.

But one respondent and her husband have come up with an original way of getting around this - any daughters they have will have her surname while sons will take her husband's family name.

The men aren't the only ones with their noses out of joint - 17 per cent of females who have kept their maiden name said it caused friction with the new in-laws - with more than half of those saying it was the mother-in-law who was most irritated by it.

A spokesman for Debenhams Wedding Gift Service said: "There has been a shift in recent years with the number of females choosing to keep their maiden name.

"We have seen a rise in the number of women keeping their surnames name when they come in to choose their wedding gifts, most grooms to-be are fine with it but we have seen a few heated moments when the subject has reared it's head when registering their wedding list.

"It can be awkward for a professional woman to change her name. Women are getting married at an older age and changing the name you have used all your life is a major transition.

"Planning a wedding can be extremely stressful and many women feel they are losing their identity by giving up their family name."

Half of the 3,000 Brits polled think professional reasons are valid for keeping a maiden name while 37 per cent say refusing to take your husband's name is fine if your Christian name sounds strange along side it.

One in ten women said they wouldn't take their husband's name if his family had a bad reputation and his name had notorious connections.