Why I Didn't and Won't Change My Name in Marriage - Toke Makinwa

Traditionally, in most cultures and most parts of the world, when a woman gets into a marriage with a man, it is expected that she takes on his last name. Unlike other places where some women choose not to take on their husbands' last names, here in Nigeria, it still remains the norm and is very rare to see that not being the case. However, media personality and business woman Toke Makinwa is opening up now on her podcast about how she never changed her last name during marriage, and doesn't intend on doing so in her next marriage either. Here's what Toke Makinwa had to say.

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Speaking about why she didn't and won't change her last name, Toke Makinwa said:

TOKE MAKINWA: I kept my last name when I get married. It was supposed to be Toke Makinwa-Ayida but it was only at home that he called me Mrs. Ayida, but I was always called Toke Makinwa. But he understood as well because he came from a family where his sister was a doctor, an OBGYN, a very top one, and she's always still known as Dr. Ayida, so he never had a conversation with me about baby, why can't you change your name? Like he wasn't wired that way, he didn't care. I hope that whoever I end up with next would actually love it because Toke Makinwa is staying. I don't want to hyphenate, I'm not taking anybody's last name. My name was and is Toke Makinwa. My kids can bear their father's surname. In my marriage, my passport, my bank details, nothing changed. We divorced, thank God it didn't change [laughs]. Imagine what I would have gone through trying to change it back, "please help me o! I used to be former Ayida, I need to become Toke Makinwa my name", no! I've built this brand with blood, sweat, and tears.

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