Heidi Klum Takes Husband Seal's Last Name
Credit: Mathew Imaging/WireImage
Just call her Heidi Samuel!
A Los Angeles court commissioner officially approved supermodel Heidi Klum's request to adopt husband Seal's last name Friday.
There is no word yet on if she will adopt the surname professionally.
The Project Runway hostess, 36, filed paperwork early last month in court to legally change her name, citing 'marriage' as the reason for the change.
See adorable photos of Hollywood's most romantic couples.
Her decision to take Seal's last name (his full name is Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel) comes four years after they wed.
Check out photos of Heidi, Seal and other star soulmates.
Klum gave birth to the couple's third child together, daughter Lou, five weeks ago. She and Seal have two sons, Henry, 3, and Johan, 2, and Seal, 46, is the adoptive father of Klum's daughter Leni, 5.
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31What a beautiful couple/family.
"your maiden last name is your father's last name so the double standard is still there." - This is often the argument used when asking why women choose to keep their names; I was asked why I kept my name as it was still my father's name; But that's the point: it's MY father's name and it links me to MY family and MY heritage, not someone else's.
they have 4 kids together.Point.Why do you always have to specify that Seal has adopted Leni???? it doesn't matter we all know that her biological father is Fabio Briatore but Seal is the one who was there when she was born and he's the only father she knows.
November 22, 2009 - 4:47am Always Ms. H Says: I would never change my last name after getting married. I think it's a complete double standard to expect that the woman should change her name but her husband should keep his last name without a second thought. I'm likely just as attached to my name as my future husband would be to his. Why should I be the one to automatically change mine? Not for anything but your maiden last name is your father's last name so the double standard is still there.
Some 25 years ago I went to work for a company and met a lovely gal. I knew she was married and had one child. Then she had a second child. One day I came into work and she had a new nameplate with a different last name. I thought she'd gotten a divorce. It turns out she'd always kept her maiden name and was just then changing to her husband's name. The reason she decided to change was that her children were getting to school age. She felt it would be too confusing for them to have parents with different last names. I've heard other people give the same reason. The second reason I know of for women to keep their names is all the paperwork involved. Another gal at the same company said it was just too much of a hassle to change her SS info, the credit cards, the banks, etc. She just didn't want to deal with it. Re: the concept of professionals, particularly in the acting world, a lot of them do things privately but continue to use whatever name they have been professionally. Legally, many of them adopt their married names, but we never hear about it because they continue to use the name that we know them by.
Then why didn't your husband change his to show unity with you? Why are you the one who had to make the gesture? Your husband didn't feel the need to do it.
Name changing is every woman's choice to make for herself. I chose to change mine, but for me it was a sign of unity that my husband and I are one. We are a family. It doesn't make me property, or submissive.
I would never change my last name after getting married. I think it's a complete double standard to expect that the woman should change her name but her husband should keep his last name without a second thought. I'm likely just as attached to my name as my future husband would be to his. Why should I be the one to automatically change mine?
.... didnt change my name until my first son was born well after I was married. People make choices for them selves, in my case it was because my license as a PT was a big pain to change when I married! And 28 years later my name was just fine the way it was.
Boyd - I think if you look at your post below you will see that you put "usually automatically" in all caps. You did that for a reason and my post still stands true. I will keep my own name.
In response to: Actually Abby it is an automatic thing after you get married unless you chose not to change it at that time. After she waited 4 years she needed to get the court to approve it. Not everything you see on TV is real life you know. I'm not sure what you mean by automatic. I've been married almost 3 years now, and my last name has never changed, so it must not be "automatic." I think it's silly that in this day of age women still take their husbands' last names. I think we know that the change has historic roots in the fact that women were considered property: Prior to marriage they had the last name of their fathers because they were his property; after marriage they took the last names of their husbands b/c they were then considered his property.
Sometimes moms like to have the same last name as their children. As children get older that kind of stuff is noticed more often.
Its not wrong to take the husbands last name! My mother was thinking about changing her name back to her maiden after she divorced my dad but she realized that the last name had become her profesional name and still uses her married name!
BTW in case you are to ignorant it is USUALLY done (I never said always or that EVERYONE does it) except most in Hollywood NEVER do b/c of they are well known etc...
You must be a submissive and desperate person to think that everyone outside of Hollywood changes their name. I have been married for more than 3 years and I did not take my husband's last name. I know many professional women who have't changed theirs either. I am very confident on my own and didn't feel the need to rush to change my name just to show the world that somebody actually wanted to marry me.
Cassy my point was that it does NOT cost ANYTHING if done right after your marriage, you don't have to go to the court for name change etc... All you SIMPLY have to do is take your mariage cert. to the ssi office and elsewhere to have them change the documents. it is pretty easy and is USUALLY AUTOMATICALLY done when married except for those in hollywood.
jill85 said "a little slow aren't we"? No, actually she's right on After 4 children and 4 years of marriage she's at least sure now. How about Patrick Swayze's wife (don't even know her name) that after 28 years together never took his name. Then she wants to write a book and no one even knows who she is. What was her problem, embarassed to be known as Mrs. Swayze. Good for Heidi, perfect timing.
just now doing it? a little slow aren't we? and heidi samuel doesn't sound as appealing as heidi klum
lol i thought his name was seal like just seal lol and i was like hmmm heidi seal strange name but i like it but no thats nice i think she's lovely and beautiful as are her whole family your gonna be on the naughty list its much better to be nice you know not only for them but it makes you feel better so yey i wish them a life time of health and happieness xoxo
changing your name is not automatic. If you want to legally change your name (SS#, contracts, etc.) you must go through the government. I did that 15 years ago when I got married and nothing has changed. A marriage license alone will not change your name.