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As this answer points out, in canon, Princess Leia Organa eventually came to be known as General Leia Organa-Solo.

Are there other examples of other characters altering their names by marriage? Or is it essentially a special case for out-of-universe reasons?

(Those out-of-universe reasons would presumably be that the powers that be felt it was necessary recognize the marriage, but also not weaken her character -- i.e. kind of all the same issues women face in different cultures in deciding whether to change their names or not, when an option exists.)

Bonus question: Are there other examples of hyphenation?

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  • Is Legends acceptable? Wookieepedia lists "Mara Jade Skywalker", although I don't know if the books themselves refer to her this way.
    – Gaultheria
    Apr 18, 2017 at 20:44
  • @Gaultheria: Canon always comes first, but that doesn't mean Legends can't be part of a more complete answer. Apr 18, 2017 at 20:47
  • That answer has since been edited to remove the reference to Leia Organa-Solo, as the author couldn't find any canon sources. So there's plenty of examples of wives taking their husband's names, but I don't believe Leia is an one of those examples.
    – SeanR
    Apr 20, 2017 at 22:34

1 Answer 1

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Off the top of my head:

  • Norra Wexley (mother of Snap Wexley, seen briefly in The Force Awakens) was born Norra Susser:

    "Miss Susser —"

    "Now that I'm home, I'm going by my married name again. Wexley."

    "Norra.

    Aftermath Chapter 2

  • Shmi Skywalker seems to take the surname of her husband:

    With getle hands, Shmi Skywalker Lars lifted the dull bronze chest piece up to the wiry droid, setting it in place.

    Attack of the Clones - Official Novelization Chapter 9

  • Likewise, Beru Lars was born Beru Whitesun:

    "Owen Lars. This is my girlfriend, Beru Whitesun."

    Attack of the Clones - Official Novelization Chapter 17

We have many more examples of married couples sharing surnames, but where we don't know which partner changed their names, or what names they'd have gone by before being married. It's not impossible that they were related before being married but, considering the intended audience of these stories (who are generally opposed to that sort of thing), it seems unlikely.

  • Bail and Breha Organa

  • Gord and Lal Grallik, the only nonhumans on the list:

    A four-armed, green-skinned member of Gorse's Besalisk subcommunity, Lal Grallik was the enterprising chief of Moonglow Polychemical.

    A New Dawn Chapter 3

    It was Gord Grallik, Boss Lal's security chief husband.

    A New Dawn Chapter 11

  • Galen and Lyra Erso, from Rogue One

  • Jobal Naberrie, and her husband Ruwee, are credited as such in the Revenge of the Sith film (they appeared briefly during Padmé's funeral procession. They also appear in the Attack of the Clones novelization, though their surnames are not mentioned. Interestingly, Padmé's sister Sola also uses the Naberrie name, despite having children. No mention is made of her husband, so it may be that she never married, or else that she simply chose not to take her husband's name.

  • Mira Bridger and her husband Ephraim

  • Thrawn addresses the parents of Eli Vanto as Mr. and Ms. Vanto:

    "Mr. Vanto," Thrawn said, returning the nod. "Ms. Vanto. Safe journeys."

    Thrawn Chapter 6

    Although they've not identified as such in the novel's narration, Thrawn is portrayed as eminently polite, and has experience with cultures from the Vanto's home region of space, so it seems unlikely that he'd knowingly contravene their local customs

  • Talmoor and Elainye Pryce, parents of Lothal Governor Arihnda Pryce:

    Talmoor Pryce had worked in the family mine all his life, and Arihnda had seen him act calmly and decisively in dozens of crisis situations.

    Thrawn Chapter 4

    "We're fine," Elainye said into Arihnda's shoulder. "Though that could change at any moment." She pulled back and held out a hand to Gudry. "I'm Elainye Pryce."

    Thrawn Chapter 26

  • Garrick and Zeehay Versio, divorced parents of the main character of Inferno Squad:

    "The daughter of renowned Admiral Garrick Versio of the Imperial Security Bureau and famous artist Zeehay Versio may be a traitor to the glorious Empire,"

    Battlefront: Inferno Squad Chapter 9

I should also note that I don't recall Leia ever going by "Organa-Solo" in the new canon, though she did in Legends. We have a truly ridiculous number of other examples in Legends, including (but by no means limited to) Nomi Sunrider, Krynda Draay, Tion Sal-Solo, Winter Celchu, Iella Antilles, Mirax Horn, Mara Jade Skywalker, and Jaina Solo Fel.

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  • At the end of Aftermath: Empire's End, they make specific mention that Leia was keeping her name as Organa, while Ben was getting Han's last name. She's also referred to as "General Organa" in TFA.
    – phantom42
    Apr 25, 2017 at 13:28

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