Wife name change ?

[Frederick]

When we bought the house we produced our marriage certificate to the Notaire...fine ...he sorted out last years portion of the Taxes Foncieres ...fine ...I have just got this years tax demand  My name above the address on the front ....and my wifes name before we married  under it .......why ? ....do they suspect I have a few more Mme  Fredericks   out there ......chance would be a fine thing !

[opas]

For some reason best known to the French a womans maiden name (as we call it) follows her through life. I have had umpteen battles over this when companies insist on using my maiden name and then It becomes comlex when I give a rib for the Bank in my married name. When I got a job I had to explain to the personnel lady that I was not who she had me down as(she had used my carte d`identite and used my maiden name)

It is something I am slowly getting accustomed to  after 3 years  here.

[Frederick]

Thanks Opas....we guessed that was it......quaint !  

[Pangur]

For purely administrative reasons, it is much easier for women to keep their name throughout life - you can trace someone from birth to death without too much hassle.  I imagine this is why a woman's original name is kept by the bureaucrats.  Mother's maiden name is used a lot in the UK to establish identity.

However, I've found the default, especially with commercial companies, is the husband's name here though, just as in the UK.  I had to request that my own name be put on our house contract and our joint account bills are sent to M & Mde hisname - although my bank card has my own name.  I keep meaning to get them to put my proper name on the chequebook, but it hasn't caused any problems to date, even when Darty wanted my ID before accepting a cheque (but that might have been just down to incompetence[;-)]).  Our bills are a total mix of names, and always have been as whoever sets up the account puts their name on it.

Can't say I've ever encountered a problem with id, even though my RIB has his name and every other piece of ID I have is in my own name.  Actually I lie, Intermarché wouldn't let me cash in my points (all €10 of them) as our loyalty card is in his name. It just washes over me at this stage....no matter what you chose, someone will get it wrong.

[Pangur]

Just to add:  I remember reading somewhere that changing a name was related to English property law and the fact that on marriage a woman's property reverted to her husband.  This custom spread but in other European countries (I think Spain was one) where a woman was allowed to be independently wealthy after marriage, names were kept, or at least for one generation. 

[KathyC]

[quote user="Frederick"]Thanks Opas....we guessed that was it......quaint !  [/quote]

Hardly quaint. Surely the idea  of a woman taking her husband's name is better described this way!

[hoverfrog]

I have currently at least 4 names over here - my maiden name for business, my ex-husband's name as I never changed it after the divorce, and a mixture of my partner's name and either of the above for various things! No, I don't get to chose which one they use.

Luckily the bank accepts deposits in any name :)

[Missy]

This is something which annoys my OH intensely!!  I  once received some documents/official stuff from the French Consulate in London and it was addressed with my maiden name first and married name second made up in a double barrel name. To which OH got very sarcastic and asked me why had I changed my name?... I replied how could I change my name as I was born with it!...

On my passport (French) figures my maiden name first then (almost as an aside) below it figures my married name. Not that it matters much, when I am in France, as I married a brit and collected a second french name!!  My signature on it, is with my married name and as it is the only mean of ID that I use, no one yet has asked any questions...  Though when I travelled to the Far-East 18mths or so ago, every booking (hotel/flights/tours) was made in my given/christening name and it did cause a lot of confusion!

As someone else said it makes it easier for the bureaucrat to follow you from cradle to grave.

But you must also remember that you are living in a Republican country! and (...sorry feminist's hat on [;-)]) WE women want to assert the fact that WE are CITIZEN of that country, helping to run it and provide for it just as well as YOU MEN!! We are not 'subjects' as I am being defined here in UK (Feminist's hat now off![Www])

[Albert the InfoGipsy]

[quote user="missyesbut"]

But you must also remember that you are living in a Republican country! and (...sorry feminist's hat on [;-)]) WE women want to assert the fact that WE are CITIZEN of that country, helping to run it and provide for it just as well as YOU MEN!! We are not 'subjects' as I am being defined here in UK (Feminist's hat now off![Www])

[/quote]

Ah, but if you have UK nationality you are the subject of a WOMAN. (At present)

[powerdesal]

On an associated note,

Why do authorities in France seem to have a problem with referring to

me as Steve, it is always Stephen - only my mother ever called me that,

the rest of the world seems able to accept that I wish to be called

Steve.

Regards

[KathyC]

[quote user="powerdesal"]On an associated note,
Why do authorities in France seem to have a problem with referring to me as Steve, it is always Stephen - only my mother ever called me that, the rest of the world seems able to accept that I wish to be called Steve.

Regards

[/quote]

I would expect any formal body to use your given name. Abbreviations are informal usage and not really appropriate in this context.