An Extra Option for Name Changing After Your Wedding

In Australia, there have always been three standard - and free - options for changing your name after getting married:

• You both keep your birth/former surnames.
• One of you takes the other’s surname.
• You both hyphenate or combine your surnames.

That’s it, right? Well, there’s a fourth option, and no one really talks about it.

Create a Completely New Last Name

Instead of one partner taking the other’s surname, you can both choose a completely new surname and start a fresh family name together.

This means you aren’t tied to either family name line if you don’t want to be. You get to create a name that’s meaningful to you both, reflecting your new family unit in a way that feels modern and equal.

It could be something connected to your shared interests, your favourite place, a word that feels powerful, or a name that simply sounds good. You can also keep your original surnames as your middle names if you want to keep that connection while still creating something new together.

How It Works in Australia

If you want to go this route in Australia, it’s a bit more paperwork-heavy than the standard married name change process.

• You’ll need to apply for an official change of name through your state or territory’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry (like this one in Queensland).
• This usually involves a form, ID documents, and a fee (varies by state, around $200).
• Once processed, you’ll get a Change of Name certificate, which you’ll use to update your name on your passport, driver’s licence, bank accounts, and everywhere else.

The side-quest to this is if one of you does this before one month before your wedding so it’s the name on your marriage paperwork, then the other person gets it for free.

Or if you both get legally married with your old names you can then both go to the BDM to change them manually.

This is also the same process you go through if you want to get legally married overseas. Your marriage is recognised in Australia but you don’t get the free name change.

Why Consider It?

• You want a new identity that represents your family, not just one side.
• You want an equal approach without defaulting to the patriarchal or matriarchal line.
• You want to symbolise a fresh chapter together.

It’s a bit more effort, but it can be a meaningful act that marks the creation of your own family tribe, in your own way.

Things to Think About

• Check the rules in your specific state, as the process and fees can differ.
• Think about the long-term implications (kids, legal documents, explaining it to family).
• Remember, you don’t have to rush. You can make this decision any time after your wedding if it feels right.

Name changes after marriage don’t have to be limited to tradition. If you want to create your own path, this fourth option is worth considering.

The important takeaway is that name changing through marriage in australia,

• doesn’t happen automatically, you have to choose
• is limited to one person (regardless of gender) taking the other’s last name, or hyphentating
• but you can change your name via a change of name process at the BDM if you want to get creative.