History Main / TookTheWifesName

* Part of the VictimOfTheWeek's backstory in ''Series/{{Castle}}'' episode "[[{{Recap/CastleS2E6VampireWeekend}} Vampire Weekend]]". The victim didn't know that his birth mother had disappeared when he was a toddler and his father had [[MarryTheNanny remarried to his nanny]], taking her name to escape the publicity since he was considered the prime suspect. [[spoiler:In fact, the nanny killed the mother with this exact aim, and the victim when he worked it out.]]

* Alrich Wren of ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'' takes his name from his wife Countess Ursa Wren. This is apparently commonplace on Mandalore, since who gets the family name depends on rank rather than gender.

* After the ending of ''Literature/TheGardenOfSinners'', [[spoiler:Mikiya]] takes the surname of his wife [[spoiler:Shiki]] upon their marriage. It makes sense since he was born into a normal middle-class family while [[spoiler:the Ryougi]] are a very wealthy and powerful clan.

* ''Anime/LittleWitchAcademia2017'': Diana
Cavendish's mother, Bernadette, is revealed to be a descendant of Beatrix Cavendish and not her father and also is revealed to be Daryl [[note]]who's [[GenderBlenderName a woman with a more masculine name]][[/note]]
Cavendish's sister. It's quite possible they chose to keep their surnames and pass it onto their daughters to know who they were descended from while their husbands ([[DisappearedDad who are never shown]]) kept their names.

* In ''Literature/ReZero'', Wilhelm took on his wife Theresia's last name when they got married because the van Astrea are a noble house renowned for their swordsmanship. After avenging Theresia's death, he finally finds enough confidence in his own abilities to take up his original surname, Trias.

* "[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/31513382/ Harry Potter and the Fluffy Taile]]" all but explicitly states that the father of OC character Penny Wyrm is Mutt, the son of Indiana Jones (''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheKingdomOfTheCrystalSkull''); he explicitly states that he took his wife's name when they got married so he wouldn't have to be known as "the Third" for the rest of his life.

* An unusual case in ''SeriesBreakingBad'': When Walter White forges his new identity, he uses the last name 'Lambert', which is his wife Skyler's maiden name. The implication is that he still wants to see himself as part of his family despite them wanting nothing to do with him.

* Part of the VictimOfTheWeek's backstory in ''Series/{{Castle}}'' episode "[[{{Recap/CastleS2E6VampireWeekend}} Vampire Weekend]]". The victim didn't know that his birth mother had disappeared when he was a baby and that his father had [[MarryTheNanny remarried the nanny]], taking her name to escape the publicity. [[spoiler:In fact, the nanny killed his mother with this exact aim, and the victim when he worked it out.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'' reveals that Mr. Crocker has a nephew named Kevin Crocker who's is his half sister's son hinting that his father might've had a different name.

Cavendish's mother, Bernadette, is revealed to be a descendant of Beatrix Cavendish and not her father and also is revealed to be Daryl [[note]]who's a woman with a more masculine name[[/note]]

* Comes up a couple of times in the ''VideoGame/TrailsSeries'':
** In ''VideoGame/TrailsInTheSky'', Erika Russell's husband Dan took her last name. We never even find out his maiden name.
** In ''VideoGame/TrailsOfColdSteel'', Irina Reinford's husband Franz took her last name. We later find out that his maiden name was [[spoiler:Lughman]], revealing that [[spoiler:the "Professor Lughman" the party had encountered over the course of ''Cold Steel III'' was none other than Franz Reinford BackFromTheDead]].

* A double example with Yu's family in ''Fanfic/TheManyQuirksOfPhantomThievery'': The Narukami surname is extremely important in the business world, so Yu's father took the Narukami surname when he married, while Ryotaro took his wife's last name to escape the family legacy.

** In ''VideoGame/TrailsOfColdSteel'', Irina Reinford's husband Franz took her last name. We later find out that his last name was [[spoiler:Lughman]], revealing that [[spoiler:the "Professor Lughman" the party had encountered over the course of ''Cold Steel III'' was none other than Franz Reinford BackFromTheDead]].

* Comes up a couple of times in the ''TrailsSeries'':

* In ''Literature/ReZero'', Wilhelm took on his wife Theresia's last name when they got married because the van Astrea are a noble house renowned for their swordsmanship. After avenging Theresia's death, he takes up his original surname, Trias.

* ''VideoGame/YandereSimulator'': The Aishi surname seems to always be passed through the wife. It's notorious for the fact that every woman in the family is a {{Yandere}} who kidnaps her high-school [[SenpaiKohai Senpai]] and forces him into a relationship. So, in this case, the husband taking the wife's surname (not by choice) seems to indicate [[HenpeckedHusband the nature of their relationship]] and the way {{Yandere}}-ism [[ItRunsInTheFamily runs in the family]].

* ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManSpiderVerse'': Miles's dad changes his name from Davis to Morales at some point between ''[[WesternAnimation/SpiderManIntoTheSpiderVerse Into]]'' and ''[[WesternAnimation/SpiderManAcrossTheSpiderVerse Across]]'', which is temporally a bit over a year. This keeps with [[ComicBook/MilesMoralesSpiderMan2018 the comic plotline]] that occurred between film releases. Unlike in the comics, there's no mention of the change having happened or why. He's simply Captain(-to-be) Jeff Morales.

* ''ComicBook/MilesMoralesSpiderMan'': Jefferson Davis took the last name of his wife Rio Morales because he shared the name with a Confederate slaver.

* After the ending of ''LightNovel/TheGardenOfSinners'', [[spoiler:Mikiya]] takes the surname of his wife [[spoiler:Shiki]] upon their marriage. It makes sense since he was born into a normal middle-class family while [[spoiler:the Ryougi]] are a very wealthy and powerful clan.

* In ''LightNovel/ReZero'', Wilhelm took on his wife Theresia's last name when they got married because the van Astrea are a noble house renowned for their swordsmanship. After avenging Theresia's death, he takes up his original surname, Trias.

* ''Webcomic/KevinAndKell'':

* In ''Literature/TheSharingKnife'', [[MageSpecies Lakewalkers]] use a matrilineal system of naming and inheritance where the husband normally takes the wife's 'tent' name, and households are passed to the eldest daughter. Meanwhile, [[{{Muggles}} farmers]] use a patrilinal system. The mixed protagonist couple ends up using the Lakewalker custom adfter some confusion.

* In ''Literature/TheSharingKnife'', [[MageSpecies Lakewalkers]] use a matrilineal system of naming and inheritance where the husband normally takes the wife's 'tent' name, and households are passed to the eldest daughter. Meanwhile, [[{{Muggles}} farmers]] use a patrilinal system.

* In ''Franchise/StarTrek'', it's implied that Betazoid women own their men, even though that would imply slavery, which is illegal in the Federation. But regardless, Betazad is very much a matriarchal society, and the Troi family is the "Fifth House of Betazed", one of the most prestigious noble families and the protectors of the planet's greatest historical treasures. While it isn't an official case, Captain Picard jokingly calls Riker "Mr. Troi" after his marriage to Deanna Troi in ''[[Film/StarTrekNemesis Nemesis]]''.

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': Jacques Gelè changed his last name upon his marriage to Willow Schnee in order to gain profit and recognition off of the fame the name entailed, specifically the social status of the Schnee family and the Schnee Dust Company. This worked as he was later named the president of the company and [[HeirInLaw successor to his father-in-law]] Nicholas Schnee.