After marrying in Australia, either spouse can keep their current surname, take their spouse’s surname or combine both surnames using a hyphen or space. These options do not require a legal name change. The official marriage certificate issued by Births, Deaths and Marriages is the only proof you need to get started.
What are my married name options?
Both spouses have the same name change options after marriage. You can share a surname, use different surnames or make no changes at all.
Your options are:
- keep your current surname
- replace your surname with your spouse’s surname
- combine both surnames using a hyphen or space
- use your married surname for some purposes and your former surname for others
- choose an entirely new surname, or modified spelling of any names (including given names) through a legal name change
There is no requirement for either spouse to change names after marriage.
Take your spouse’s surname
Either spouse can replace their current surname with their spouse’s surname.
For example, if Alex Taylor marries Jordan Smith:
- Alex Taylor could become Alex Smith
- Jordan Smith could become Jordan Taylor
- one spouse could change while the other keeps their current name
The official marriage certificate issued by Births, Deaths and Marriages is the only proof you need to get started. You do not need to register a legal name change, and your birth or citizenship certificate does not change.
Easy Name Change’s Australian Name Change Survey collected responses from 1,389 people between 2010 and 2019. More than 70% of married-name-change respondents replaced their former surname with their spouse’s surname. Wanting the whole family to share one surname was the most common reason.
Can a husband take his wife’s surname?
Yes. A husband can take his wife’s surname after marriage using the official Australian marriage certificate.
The same rules apply to everyone. Either spouse can take the other’s surname or add their spouse’s surname to their own, regardless of gender.
There is no separate process for husbands changing names. Each spouse contacts their own organisations and follows that organisation’s usual married name change process.
Take a double-barrelled surname
Either spouse can combine both surnames in either order.
If Alex Taylor marries Jordan Smith, the available combinations include:
- Taylor-Smith
- Smith-Taylor
- Taylor Smith
- Smith Taylor
It is your choice whether to use a hyphen or space. You can both take the same double-barrelled surname, or only one spouse can make the change.
Across the Australian Name Change Survey, between 3.5% and 5% of married-name-change respondents chose a double-barrelled surname. Among these respondents, approximately three in four said only one spouse made the change.
Once you choose the order and whether to use a hyphen or space, use the same version everywhere. Small differences between your passport, driver’s licence and other records can cause problems with digital identity checks.
Read our complete guide to hyphenated and double-barrelled married names before making your choice.
Keep your current surname
You do not have to change your name after marriage.
If you keep your current surname, there is no paperwork to complete. Your marriage certificate records your marriage but does not automatically change either spouse’s name.
Married couples can use different surnames. You can also choose to change your name months or years after the wedding. There is no deadline.
Use your married and former surnames
A married surname is an assumed name. This means your birth or citizenship certificate remains in your original name and you may continue using your former surname.
Some people update their passport, driver’s licence, banking and personal records into their married name but continue using their former surname professionally.
This can be useful if you have:
- professional qualifications in your former name
- an established business or reputation
- publications or industry recognition
- clients who already know you by your former name
- a professional registration that you prefer to keep consistent
The Australian Name Change Survey found that professional recognition and keeping work separate from private life were common reasons for retaining a connection to a former surname.
Be practical about where you use each name. Identity checks, payroll, taxation and regulated professional records may need to connect with your official identification.
Read our guide to keeping your former name at work after marriage.
Can both spouses choose an entirely new surname?
Yes, but an entirely new surname is not an assumed married name that can be updated using an Australian marriage certificate.
If the surname is not yours, your spouse’s or a double-barrelled surname, one spouse must apply for a legal name change through Births, Deaths and Marriages.
If you both want the same new surname and have not married yet, the simplest and cheapest approach is usually:
- One spouse legally changes their surname before the wedding.
- The marriage is registered using that new surname.
- After the wedding, the other spouse assumes the new surname using the official marriage certificate.
This means only one person needs to pay for a registered legal name change.
If the wedding has already taken place, either spouse wanting a surname that does not appear on the marriage certificate will need to apply for a legal name change with Births, Deaths and Marriages.
What if you were married overseas?
If you married overseas, you cannot order an Australian BDM marriage certificate for that marriage.
Some organisations may accept your foreign marriage certificate, but most banks and identification changes require proof issued by an Australian Births, Deaths and Marriages registry. Apply for a legal name change before updating identification and accounts into your spouse’s surname.
Read our dedicated guide to changing your name in Australia after an overseas marriage.
Ready to use your married name?
Once you have chosen your married name and received your official marriage certificate, you need to notify each organisation separately.
Easy Name Change prepares the personalised forms, letters, emails and instructions for the organisations you select. Each notification tells you what proof to include and how to send it.
