'I deserve the same name as my kids.' Famous divorced women on why they keep their husband's surnames.

The choice to keep a husband's surname after divorce is not a decision made lightly.

But it's all too common. 

From singers Tina Turner and Faith Hill to Joni Mitchell, along with actresses Susan Sarandon and Demi Moore, these women became known for their surnames from a previous marriage.

And in some of these cases, the women have been accused of 'stealing' the men's names. Tina Turner's controversial ex-husband Ike Turner even once said in an interview "I was the one who turned her into Tina Turner."

But is changing a name all that simple when a woman's children and business get involved? 

Nadia Bartel split from footy star Jimmy Bartel in mid-2019, and she's decided to address why she's keeping her surname. “I cannot tell you how many times I get asked this question,” she said in a TikTok video.

“I don’t have to answer this question. But I’m just so sick of the question being thrown at me." 

@nadiabartel Replying to @P.S ♬ original sound - Nadia Bartel

“The fact of the matter is I want the same surname as my two small boys. I’m very traditional like that. I don’t see why I have to have a different name for my small children because my marriage ended.”

Bartel did not mince her words in response to some of the criticism she's copped for keeping her surname.

“I have had Bartel for such a time now, and I just look at it as the last name of my two boys, and I don’t know why all of you care so much about it and why I still need to be trolled about it today, and it was four years ago when my marriage ended.”

Phoebe Burgess raised a similar argument in response to her not altering her surname following her divorce from ex-husband, Sam Burgess.

“I drop my kids off to school every day, and I’ve got a big sign on my car that says ‘Burgess’, and we are the three Burgess’ because that’s their name, so I deserve to be the same name as my kids,” she said on Mamamia's No Filter. 

“I choose to be a family unit with Poppy and Billy Burgess, so I’ll be Phoebe Burgess – Ms. Phoebe Burgess.”

Ultimately, Phoebe said that her surname has become a part of her, and her history. 

“My stretch marks aren’t going anywhere. I’ve got a lot of scars from the things that I sacrificed along the way, and I’m keeping them because it’s who I am now," she said.

“It’s where I’ve come from. And they were decisions I made with a really full heart at that time. And it’s almost like wearing those scars with a bit of pride."

Listen to Phoebe's No Filter episode. Post continues after podcast.

Sophie Cachia built her business around the surname of her ex-husband and AFL star Jaryd Cachia, who she was married to from 2015 to 2019.

She has a sleepwear and loungewear line literally called Cachia so while her surname will remain in an official capacity, she has changed her Instagram name to Sophie Shaw in a small gesture to reclaim her pre-marriage identity. 

During a chat on Stellar’s Something to Talk About podcast, she opened up about where she stands on her surname. "Cachia has been and will always be my family name. From a professional standpoint, I’m Sophie Cachia. My [sleepwear label] is Cachia. I’ve been separated for five years now, so it was never about getting my last name back," she said. 

“But there was a part of me that, as I’ve gotten older and I’ve really fallen into who I am, and coming from a family of four girls as well, where we all went off and got married, I thought: No, I want to take back a piece of me.”

The same dilemma has faced all kinds of celebs: from local influencers to international reality stars. 

Kris and Caitlin Jenner married in 1991 before announcing their separation in 2013, with Caitlyn coming out as transgender in 2015, the same year the divorce was finalised.

Kris Jenner has considered going back to Kris Kardashian — rather than her maiden name Houghton — following her divorce from Caitlin. 

However, she ultimately opted to keep her name due to her kids, Kylie and Kendall. "It happens to be two younger girls' [surnames] who have an amazing dad and I think I'm going to stay right where I am," she told Kyle and Jackie O in 2016.

"It sounded good for a minute, but I went 'you just have to respect the relationship of the entire family'."

Hey! Listen to The Spill where our hosts debate this topic. Post continues after podcast. 

Demi Moore was only married to Freddy Moore for five years, but she left the marriage with a valuable asset: her signature surname. 

The actress was born with the name Demetria Guynes. The couple divorced in 1985 which was the same year as Demi's breakout role in St. Elmo's Fire, therefore changing her name would have been a questionable business decision. 

The choice to stay with the name you've built your brand around isn't just an issue women grapple with: The White Stripes frontman Jack White kept his name from ex-wife, Meg White. 

The couple were married between 1996 and 2000, but while they were together, the pair publicly portrayed themselves as siblings.

Compared to this, keeping an ex's surname doesn't sound that weird anymore, right?!

Feature image: Getty.

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