John and Yoko Ono Lennon were the first!
A lot of people consider it “the norm” for women who marry men to take their husband’s last name. That expectation stretches to Hollywood, too.
Some women, such as Sarah Michelle Gellar, get their name changed legally but keep their stage name the same. Others, like Hailey Bieber (née Baldwin), use their husband’s last name both personally and professionally.
Sometimes, however, the couples decide to flip the script and combine their last names, or the husband takes his wife’s last name.
Here are 11 famous men who broke tradition and took their wife’s last name:
1. Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz got married in 2022.
They combined their last names, becoming Brooklyn and Nicola Peltz Beckham.
2. Zoe Saldaña and Marco Perego tied the knot in 2013.
Stefania D’alessandro / Getty Images
He took her last name, becoming Marco Perego Saldaña.
Gregg Deguire / FilmMagic / Via Getty
“I told him, ‘If you use my name, you’re going to be emasculated by your community of artists, by your Latin community of men, by the world.’ But Marco looks up at me and says [imitating his Italian accent], ‘Ah, Zoe, I don’t give a sheet,'” she told InStyle.
Theo Wargo / WireImage / Via Getty
3. Carlos Pena Jr. and Alexa Vega got married in 2014.
Paul Archuleta / Getty Images
They decided to combine their last names, becoming Carlos and Alexa PenaVega.
“We knew we always wanted it to be PenaVega,” Carlos told On with Mario Lopez.
Greg Doherty / WireImage / Via Getty
4. Lorenzo Lamas and Shawna Craig were married from 2011-2018.
Paul Archuleta / FilmMagic / Via Getty
He hyphenated their last names, becoming Lorenzo Lamas-Craig. Shawna kept her own last name.
Justin Baker / Getty Images
Lorenzo’s decision was motivated by the fact that his ex-wife, Shauna Sand, decided to not to change her legal name and remained Shauna Lamas.
Beck Starr / WireImage / Via Getty
“His new wife didn’t want to be called Shawna Lamas for obvious reasons,” Don Gibble, Lorenzo’s manager, told E!.
Joce / GC Images / Via Getty
5. John Lennon and Yoko Ono wed in 1969.
Jack Mitchell / Getty Images
They took each other’s last names, becoming John and Yoko Ono Lennon.
Susan Wood / Getty Images
“It gives us nine ‘O’s between us, which is good luck. Ten would not be good luck,” John told The Beatles Off the Record.
Ron Howard / Redferns / Via Getty
However, they actually still had 10 O’s between them because John had to keep his middle name, Winston. At the time, British law didn’t allow people to fully relinquish their birth names.
6. Beyoncé and Jay-Z got married in 2008.
Kevin Mazur / Getty Images for Sean Combs
Jay-Z reportedly changed his name at the same time she did, and they became Shawn and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter.
7. Jay Mohr and Nikki Cox were married from 2006-2018.
Leslie Nestor Miranda / FilmMagic / Via Getty
As a gift for their two-year anniversary, he legally took her last name, making him Jon Cox Mohr [Jay is a nickname].
Denise Truscello / WireImage / Via Getty
8. Jack Gillis and Meg White were married from 1996-2000.
Sylvain Gaboury / FilmMagic / Via Getty
Jack took her name, becoming Jack White.
Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic / Via Getty
They also shared their name with their band — the White Stripes.
Dimitrios Kambouris / WireImage / Via Getty
As the White Stripes, they claimed to be siblings and invented a detailed backstory. They kept up the charade after their divorce and after the marriage certificate was leaked.
Kmazur / WireImage / Via Getty
The White Stripes disbanded in 2011.
9. Former Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villar Jr. and Corina Raigosa were married from 1987-2007.
He combined their last names, becoming Antonio Villaraigosa. She remained Corina Raigosa.
Gregg Deguire / WireImage / Via Getty
10. Todd Baechle (from The Faint) and Orenda Fink (from Azure Ray) tied the knot in 2005.
He took her last name, becoming Todd Fink.
They also formed a band together — CLOSENESS.
11. And finally, director Ernest Brown Jr. and talent manager Elaine Lively (aka Blake Lively’s parents) got married in 1979.
Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images
He took her last name, becoming Ernie Lively.
Axelle / FilmMagic / Via Getty
Blake named her beverage company Betty Buzz after Ernie’s mom and sister because she “wanted any success to be in a name that was meaningful to him,” but “Ernie would not be the best name for a mixer.”
Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images
In a press release, she said, “He gave up his last name when he married my mom, and any success he, or I, have experienced has been in a name that isn’t his.”
BuzzFeed Daily
Keep up with the latest daily buzz with the BuzzFeed Daily newsletter!
:quality(85):upscale()/2026/02/18/893/n/1922564/857ece5a69962087501ab8.98904531_.jpg "Everything to Know About the \"Love Is Blind\" Engagement Rings")
