Marriage in Canada

[mstangie 0]

Why when you marry in Canada you dont take the last name of your spouse?

[YuAndDan 153]

Sure you do, my relatives who live in Canada live.

Note some cultures like Chinese and other Asian cultures do not take spouse's family name.

Moving this to regional forum.

[mstangie 0]

Well I was married in Canada in Dec and was told I would not take the last name of my husband.

[JillA 2]

Well I was married in Canada in Dec and was told I would not take the last name of my husband.

Was it Quebec? Quebec does not allow it.

[mstangie 0]

Well I was married in Canada in Dec and was told I would not take the last name of my husband.

Was it Quebec? Quebec does not allow it.

YES IT WAS

[mstangie 0]

Well I was married in Canada in Dec and was told I would not take the last name of my husband.

Was it Quebec? Quebec does not allow it.

ARE YOU FROM QUEBEC?

[JillA 2]

Well I was married in Canada in Dec and was told I would not take the last name of my husband.

Was it Quebec? Quebec does not allow it.

ARE YOU FROM QUEBEC?

I am from Quebec. Quebec has a law that you cannot take your husband's last name, don't ask me why. Quebec does alot of questionable things but I love it anyway. You can do a google search and find out more, it's on wikepedia too. My father was married in Quebec 10 years ago and his wife had to keep her maiden name. My sister was married there last year and she too cannot change her name.

[BermyCat 1]

Can't you just go through the same process you would go through to change your name to an arbitrary one? Or do they not allow any sort of name changing at all?

~ Catherine

[♥Stiggy♥ 0]

#######! Quebec doesnt allow it?

[JillA 2]

It does not unfortunately, I believe it's the only provice that doesn't.

WIKEPEDIA:

Quebec

Although as in other jurisdictions a citizen of Quebec may informally use whatever name he or she wants, procedures for formal name change are very strict as Quebec (unlike the rest of Canada) operates under a civil law system. The decision must be authorized by the Director of Civil Status, and requires a valid reason for changing the name, including long-term use of the new name (in the Montreuil case cited below, the Quebec appeals court has considered five years' use to be a sufficient reason), difficulty of use due to spelling or pronunciation, or bearing a name that another person has made infamous.

Only a judge may authorize a name change for a child for reasons of abandonment, deprivation of parental authority, or change in filiation such as adoption.

This has occasionally led to controversy. A lawyer named Micheline Montreuil, a non-operative male-to-female transgendered woman, had to undergo a lengthy process to have her name legally changed. Initially, the director of civil status refused to permit the change on the grounds that a male could not bear a female name. According to Quebec law, Montreuil could not change her record of sex because this requires proof of a completed sex reassignment surgery, which she has not had. On November 1, 1999, the provincial court of appeal ruled that nothing in the law prevented a person who was legally male from legally adopting a woman's name. (Montreuil was initially prevented from changing her name despite this ruling on the grounds that she had not established general use, as normally required for a name change; the Quebec appeals court finally authorized the change on November 7, 2002.)[19]

The Director of Civil Status will amend a Quebec birth certificate if a name change certificate is issued by another province. Some people have used that loophole by moving to another province temporarily in order to get the legal documents.

[defunct 0]

Did not know that. Weird frenchies!

[JillA 2]

Did not know that. Weird frenchies!

Yeah it's wierd. My sister really wanted to take her husband's last name. She still calls herself his last name in general, but legally cannot get any documents changed.

[mstangie 0]

It does not unfortunately, I believe it's the only provice that doesn't.

WIKEPEDIA:

Quebec

Although as in other jurisdictions a citizen of Quebec may informally use whatever name he or she wants, procedures for formal name change are very strict as Quebec (unlike the rest of Canada) operates under a civil law system. The decision must be authorized by the Director of Civil Status, and requires a valid reason for changing the name, including long-term use of the new name (in the Montreuil case cited below, the Quebec appeals court has considered five years' use to be a sufficient reason), difficulty of use due to spelling or pronunciation, or bearing a name that another person has made infamous.

Only a judge may authorize a name change for a child for reasons of abandonment, deprivation of parental authority, or change in filiation such as adoption.

This has occasionally led to controversy. A lawyer named Micheline Montreuil, a non-operative male-to-female transgendered woman, had to undergo a lengthy process to have her name legally changed. Initially, the director of civil status refused to permit the change on the grounds that a male could not bear a female name. According to Quebec law, Montreuil could not change her record of sex because this requires proof of a completed sex reassignment surgery, which she has not had. On November 1, 1999, the provincial court of appeal ruled that nothing in the law prevented a person who was legally male from legally adopting a woman's name. (Montreuil was initially prevented from changing her name despite this ruling on the grounds that she had not established general use, as normally required for a name change; the Quebec appeals court finally authorized the change on November 7, 2002.)[19]

The Director of Civil Status will amend a Quebec birth certificate if a name change certificate is issued by another province. Some people have used that loophole by moving to another province temporarily in order to get the legal documents.

[/quote

I'm planning when my husband comes to the US that we will remarry and then I will take his last name here.

[Gypsyangel 11]

Why when you marry in Canada you dont take the last name of your spouse?

Some people do. Some people don't. It's your choice (unless you live in Quebec!). This is based on no research but it seems like younger women are more likely to take their husband's names than us middle-aged women! I couldn't imagine changing my name and I don't really have any friends who have changed their name.

From my experience, it seems that it's a given that you will change your name in the U.S. In Canada it's not unusual to keep your original name.

Also, it's my understanding that people in Quebec are less likely to get married as well. I worked with a bunch of women from Montreal who all had kids and lived with their men, but there was really no thought of getting married. Kinda cool.

I know ... I've kinda digressed from the thread a bit ....

Edited March 17, 2009 by Gypsyangel

[Reba 2]

I'm planning when my husband comes to the US that we will remarry and then I will take his last name here.

Not sure you'd need to get married again in the US to do that. I think you'd be hard pressed to find an officient to do a legal ceremony if you've already had one.