I guess it’s a good thing Kim Kardashian opted to keep her name. In the 72 days before she filed for divorce from Kris Humphries, she would have hardly had time to order new checks or replace her Social Security card.

I was surprised to learn that fewer people are keeping up with the Kardashians, at least in terms of brides keeping their surnames. A recent study shows more brides today are opting to take their husband’s names than in the 1990s, when nearly a quarter of brides kept their names.

I wasn’t one of them. At 27, I was statistically a good candidate for keeping my name (more older brides do). Some do it because they are already well established in their careers. Others are more politically motivated, wanting to disassociate themselves from a tradition that gave all legal rights to the husband.

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