When a person (traditionally the wife in many cultures) assumes the family name of their spouse, in some countries that name replaces the person's previous surname, which in the case of the wife is called the maiden name ("birth name" is also used as a gender-neutral or masculine substitute for maiden name), whereas a married name is a family name or surname adopted by a person upon marriage.

A maiden name is the family name—usually the birth name—a woman has before she marries. A married name is the family name taken by a married person at the time of the marriage. The most common example is when a woman takes the family name of her spouse at the time of marriage. But sometimes a man changes his name at marriage.