Today I Transition to Diana Ross and It’s Complicated

The decision to take my husband’s last name was an easy one; changing it on LinkedIn today was not.

This post captures my reflections and learnings about the impact of a name change from the perspective of a business woman and entrepreneur. 

This past fall I married my now husband, Colin, in a room full of friends and family, including my parents who’ve been married for over 30 years. Growing up in London, Ontario, I often thought about my future wedding day, my dress, the groom and becoming a Mrs. X. Changing my last name seemed inevitable and I just hoped I married someone with a strong one.

While I waited for this exciting life milestone, I launched my professional career as Diana Robbins. Being a natural relationship builder who loves people and opportunities to provide value, I was drawn to business development and sales. I prioritized building my network through events and external outreach and at the age of 21 I started my first business.

After a decade into my career and thousands of newly developed relationships, I got married and became Diana Ross. ‘Short, sweet and strong’ I thought; a name that definitely gets a reaction. I was focused on what I could gain from a new identity but I’m quickly realizing the impact this will have on the name recognition I’ve worked for.

As the founder of Greater Marketing, I’ve reflected on the SEO implications of previous media mentions, blog content and award recognition. I did some digging and it’s clear how relevant this concern is for women today.

• Studies have shown that the more professionally established the bride, the more likely she is to retain her own name. This becomes more common as couples are marrying at a later age. The 2016 median age for a first marriage was 27.4 for women and 29.5 for men – roughly seven years more than the median ages in 1960.
• In North America, divorce rates floating at 40-50% have received wide media attention and cultural significance further complicating the decision to change your last name, and how often.

Stigmas around name changes are also being examined. A new study shows a woman's marital surname choice influences how people perceive the distribution of power in her marriage. When a woman chooses not to take her husband's surname, people perceive her husband as being lower in traits related to masculinity.

Hillary Rodham married Bill Clinton in 1975 and kept using her maiden name as he pursued his political career and she built her reputation as a lawyer. But, in the wake of his loss in a re-election race for governor, she began using "Hillary Clinton”.

Women who violate the marital surname tradition are also viewed differently from others. These traits include having a higher status, wielding more power, being more self-focused, ambitious and assertive.

Kim Kardashian famously announced her name change via an Instagram passport pic after marrying Kanye West in 2014. Similarly, Beyonce Knowles received criticism after marrying Shawn Carter and rebranding her concerts to the “Mrs. Carter Tour”.

Sure, that kind of change can be a bold career move when your name is your livelihood, but is this significant enough for me, Diana Robbins (strikethrough) Ross?

• Changing my Facebook name was easy. It’s my personal network, filled with friends and photos, including many from my wedding. Facebook was checked off first.
• As an early adopter of Instagram, I kick myself for not securing @dianaross before, Diana Ross did. With over 800m monthly active users on the platform, it’s very rare to get your own name on Instagram. I have @dianarobbins and I’m keeping it.
• Today I’ve updated my LinkedIn to Diana Ross, a network filled with many connections I’ve never even met. It reflects years of outreach under an identity that’s changing today; I don’t take that lightly.

In an increasingly connected world, your name and handle in social media are part of your identity - Bianca Lopes, Identity Expert

I'm curious whether this message resonates with my network. Has the implications of changing your name had an impact on you? I encourage you to leave a comment about your experience and would love to hear any tips as I embark on this transition.