It has always been a custom in India for women to change their surnames to that of their husbands. Old traditional customs in India had earlier made it almost mandatory for women to adhere to the change-in-surname rule so that they can be respectable members of society. It is a big decision to change the surname, and even though women are increasingly opting for their own choice of keeping their paternal surname, many women in India still do not have a choice. Let’s now understand why women would really have to change their surnames after marriage.