Historian Nadiya Voytovych told Ukrainian news agency UNIAN that taking a husband's surname after marriage originated from historical legal systems rather than ancient religious traditions. Modern couples often assume that female surname changes are an age-old custom, but Voytovych explained that European traditions developed gradually across different eras and legal environments.
The practice became widespread across much of Europe only during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. As state administration expanded and official civil registration systems were established, inherited surnames became an essential component of formal identification for all citizens.
In England, the custom traces back to the late Middle Ages and the early modern period, where it gradually established itself as a social standard. Voytovych noted that the tradition developed alongside the legal principle of coverture, a doctrine under which a married woman's independent legal status was severely restricted. Under coverture, husbands assumed primary authority over family property and legal proceedings, reflecting a societal framework that viewed the married household as a single legal entity represented publicly by the man.
Voytovych stressed that surname practices were never uniform across the European continent. Prior to modern registration, identification methods were far more flexible, with individuals identified by family lineage, paternal names, marital ties, places of origin, or occupational roles. Consequently, informal social forms of address differed significantly from formal modern surname conventions.
European naming traditions and national customs
Several European countries continue to maintain distinct legal and cultural naming rules that do not require women to adopt their husbands' family names. In France, individuals retain the surnames assigned to them at birth throughout their lives, although spouses are permitted to use their partner's surname as a nom d'usage for administrative and daily matters.
In Spain, traditional naming conventions assign every individual two surnames, derived from both the paternal and maternal lines. Because surnames reflect both parents, marriage does not involve replacing a woman's ancestral names with those of her husband. Meanwhile, Iceland relies on a historical patronymic and matronymic naming structure where individual names indicate immediate parentage rather than membership in a shared, hereditary family name.
In Ukraine, marriage traditionally represented a woman's formal transition from her birth family into her husband's household, shaping her post-marital identity through his family network. Historical church parish records, known as metric books, demonstrate that recording practices varied across different regions and religious denominations, but women were frequently documented by referencing their fathers or husbands.
Ukrainian linguistic traditions also reflected family ownership and belonging through specific possessive surname forms. Female surnames ending in the letters "-a" or "-ya", such as Kobylianska derived from Kobyliansky, historically developed to answer questions regarding a woman's family origin. In casual spoken language, communities often attached the suffix "-ykha" to a husband's surname, transforming names such as Shevchenko into Shevchenkykha to denote family affiliation.
Religious perspectives on post-marital surname choices
Religious leaders from Christian, Islamic, and Jewish traditions confirmed that major faiths do not mandate women to adopt their husbands' names upon marriage. Archpriest Mykhailo Omelyan, press secretary of the Kyiv Metropolis of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, explained that while the Church regards marriage as a holy sacrament, canonical and dogmatic texts contain no rules regarding surnames.
Omelyan stated that from an ecclesiastical perspective, there is no sin or moral fault if a woman adopts her husband's surname, retains her maiden name, or chooses a combined double surname. He emphasized that surname selection remains a purely social decision that rests entirely with the married couple.
Sheikh Yunus Fazairov, representing the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Ukraine, highlighted that Islamic teachings place high importance on preserving family bonds, honoring distant relatives, and maintaining awareness of genealogical roots. Surnames function as a vital tool for preserving ancestral heritage within Muslim communities.
Fazairov outlined two distinct cultural approaches practiced across Islamic nations. In some cultures, a woman chooses her husband's surname to symbolize unity with her spouse and children, while in others, she retains her original name to maintain her distinct lineage. In countries such as Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, women traditionally keep their birth surnames after marriage, enabling families to trace lineage back through multiple centuries. While women may opt for a double surname to signal inclusion in a new family, children in Islamic traditions always take the lineage of their father.
Rabbi David Milman, a Jewish chaplain with the Armed Forces of Ukraine, observed that surname changes are civil procedures that developed long after religious texts were compiled. He noted that while Jewish cultural practice often involves a bride adopting her husband's surname to mark entry into his family, a woman may choose to retain her maiden name if it holds greater social prominence or public recognition, provided both partners agree.
Milman explained that formal surnames did not exist when foundational Jewish texts were written. In accordance with Jewish traditions, couples discuss and agree upon personal marital arrangements before standing beneath the chuppah, the traditional wedding canopy. These pre-nuptial agreements address all aspects of domestic life, including surname choices, whether the husband will wear a beard, and the intended frequency of marital intimacy.
Psychological factors and contemporary trends
Psychologist Yulia Hrytsenko discussed the emotional and psychological impacts associated with surname decisions, noting that women experience the process in vastly different ways. For some women, adopting a spouse's surname fosters a deep sense of togetherness and emotional connection, whereas others feel a tangible loss of personal identity.
Hrytsenko noted that modern women are increasingly choosing to maintain their birth names after marriage, a trend driven by rising financial, professional, and social independence. Contemporary society increasingly views marriage as an equal partnership between autonomous adults rather than a woman's absorption into a husband's family unit.
Practical considerations also play a significant role in modern naming decisions. Keeping a birth name avoids the lengthy administrative burden of updating identification cards, academic diplomas, and professional credentials, as well as the need to reverse those modifications in the event of a divorce.
Hrytsenko stressed that the key psychological requirement is personal autonomy. She explained that choosing a surname must represent an uncoerced preference based on a genuine desire for a shared identity, rather than compliance with social expectations or a concession made to prevent a spouse from feeling offended.
