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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to feel odd about sharing my married surname with his ex?

452 replies

Bride2bbbbb · 29/07/2026 09:47

I’ve been with DP now for 8 years. We are due to get married in a few months

His ex wife after their divorce chose to keep his surname. They were married for ten years although for around 4-5 years of this they had a generally unhappy marriage where she was having an on/off affair with one person.

They did actually discuss her dropping his name at the time of the divorce and she said she wanted to keep it so she had the same surname as the kids which he understood and was fine about although his understanding was when she got remarried she would drop it then. At that time she was also in a ‘new’ relationship with on/off affair person. DP and I got together a few months after they had separated

She has since married this person and has continued to keep DPs surname. Hasn’t taken new husbands surname in any way at all

I know I’m probably being unreasonable but it’s slightly taken off the excitement of taking DPs surname once we are married - I will literally be the same Mrs bbb as her. I will also add that this will be my first (and hopefully only) marriage so I am obviously still using my maiden name - so hence the excitement at having a married name. I know one of my first excited thoughts when we got engaged was I’ll be Mrs bbb!!!

I could also understand her keeping it if she was in a ‘professional’ role and known for her name - like a doctor, dentist, barrister etc but she works in retail and has been at her current job a very short time. I’d also understand it too if she had any sort of relationship with any of his family but she has zero contact with any of his family

So yes I know I am possibly being slightly unreasonable and possibly a bit bridezilla about it but I have literally nobody to offload to about it. DP has the same thought as me that he thought she would drop his name or amend her surname to take his surname additionally once she remarried but it definitely does not look like it’s going to happen

OP posts:
Aur0raAustralis · 29/07/2026 09:51

The obvious solution is for him to take your surname, but presumably he wants to keep the same surname as his kids.

It's a minor irritation that comes with not being the first wife, I guess. Hopefully this is the worst you have to deal with in being a stepmother!

Thehobbit2013 · 29/07/2026 09:51

She clearly wants the same surname as her children. Perhaps the compromise is for your dp to agree for the children to change their surnames to whatever name surname his ex would change it to