 Due to increasing security and identification needs, even where it is legal, the common law method is now rarely accepted except (especially for women) at marriage.Traditionally, in the Anglophone West only women change their names on marriage, but in some instances men may change their last names upon marriage as well, including same-sex couples.In the United States, only eight states have an official name change for a man as part of their marriage process, and in others a man may petition a court or—where not prohibited—use the common law method (though government agencies sometimes do not recognize this procedure for men).