“I Would Like Us to Share a Name so That We Can Be Recognized in Society.” Marital Surname Preferences in Same-Sex Relationships

ABSTRACT

Despite the recent expansion of marriage rights within the U.S., relatively little is known about marriage-related practices among people in same-sex relationships. The current study extends prior research by investigating marital surname preferences in a large, sociodemographically diverse sample of U.S. adults in same-sex relationships. Participants (N = 179) described their surname preferences in an open-ended format. Thematic analysis revealed that many participants were open to making some type of marital surname change. When explaining their surname preferences, participants often cited their desire to unite the whole family under the same surname. Importantly, however, quantitative analyses illustrated that surname preferences significantly varied according to sociodemographic background characteristics such as age. Collectively, findings suggest a possible generational shift in surname preferences among individuals in same-sex relationships.

KEYWORDS:

• Naming practices
• same-sex relationships
• thematic analysis
• romantic relationships
• tradition
• gay
• lesbian

Acknowledgments

Warm thanks are extended to Mustafa Barakat and Sarah Thoman for their assistance in early stages of this research. We are also grateful to Amber Stephens, Jessie Smith, and Desiree Melton for their help with qualitative coding. Finally, we extend gratitude to Jen John, Tori Dibona, Ei Myint, Sara Kent, James Abelar, and the Writing Group for their helpful feedback provided on an earlier version of this manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Several demographic questions had missing data from participants who declined to respond. First, 1% (n = 1) did not report their relationship status. Second, 10% (n = 18) did not report their age. Third, 11% (n = 19) did not report their race/ethnicity. Fourth, 11% (n = 20) did not report their income.

2. All names are pseudonyms.

3. It merits noting that not all participants who identified as women also identified as lesbian.