Would you take your husband's last name when you marry? Our Chicks are burning up the forums debating the question.

Reasons for:

* Family Unity - Shouldn't your children have the same name as you? Hyphenating seems like an obvious compromise, but Johnny's going to have a tough time in first grade writing out a 14-letter surname.

* Tradition - Sometimes "just because" is the right answer. Women's lib promises us that we can choose any path we want... even if it's the traditional one.

* Upgrading - Your fiancé's last name is much more interesting than your maiden name, which you never really liked anyway. Especially since no one has ever been able to pronounce, much less spell, your family's name correctly.

* Logistics - Applying for loans and the like is so much easier when the names match. It also quashes the inevitable question: "So, are you married, or just living together?"

Reasons against:

* The Family Name - Eons ago we hatched the ridiculous idea that a family line dies out with a surname swap, as though we ladies change our DNA when we marry. But why can't a woman carry the family name to the next generation?

* Buck Tradition - Just because we've always done things one way doesn't mean we should continue. We have pride in our identity, and changing our monogram is tantamount to denying our past. If he really wants your names to match, he can switch!

* Downgrading - You love your guy but not his name. Hey - it's not his fault that his family name has an unappealing translation in another language or is unpronounceable. Maybe your first name just doesn't ring right with his surname hitched behind?

* Logistics - Oh, the hoops you will have to jump through to get your name changed. It's a serious pain in the behind and you're sure to forget a credit card or telephone listing here and there. Procrastinators will kick themselves come passport renewal time, as there won't be time to order the necessary paperwork before your trip to Jamaica. Fugheddaboutit.

* Professional Reputation - We ladies have to work extra hard for recognition, and if we've made any headway prior to our aisle walk the last thing we want is to lose ground by switching names. Whatever your line of work, be certain that a name change will not be a career killer.

So what are your options? You have more choices than hyphenating or making a unity call on his or hers. Some cool suggestions came out of our ChickChat discussion, including:

- combine your surnames to create a new one
- take both names, but bump one to a middle name that will appear on your passport but not intended for regular use

Join our discussion and put your creative idea forward!