When ending a marriage, an Illinois woman may want to decide whether to keep her husband’s last name. Being a superstar does not preclude an actor from taking her husband’s name when getting married. A star may still be known by her Hollywood name, but on paper and to the neighborhood kids, a woman may be known by her husband’s last name. For instance, she may be Gwyneth Paltrow to the rest of the world, but in her circle and to the kids at her children’s schools, she’s Mrs. Martin.
When she and Chris Martin divorced in 2016 using “conscious uncoupling,” Paltrow decided that it would be better for her children to remain Gwyneth Paltrow Martin legally. She retains the same last name as her children, which she feels is better for her children in the long run. Every woman needs to make this decision for herself.
With all of the other issues that need decisions during a divorce, some people may not consider this an important one. However, for some people, it is. If there are children involved, a woman may have to consider how it would affect her children, if at all.
These days, many women here in Illinois and elsewhere decide that going back to their maiden names is important to their identities. Even though the vast majority of those who will need to make this decision are women, some men have decided to take their wives’ names as well. Regardless, including this decision at the time of the divorce could save the party making the name change some time and headache since it will not require a separate court proceeding in order to obtain the right to legally change names.
