My mom kept my Dad's last name after the divorce, and still retains it to this day. There are few reasons I can think of:
1) My mother had two kids at the time of the divorce; my brother and myself (I was six, my brother nine). She felt it would be psychologically better for my brother and I if she kept the name. We had just gone through the family being torn apart, why create more confusion for us kids? Plus she was afraid changing her name might create a sense of separation between her and the two of us (her's being Willer, and us two retaining the Martin name). I think Annie Duke has kids, so it's something to consider.
2) My mom's maiden name was Willer, Marjorie Willer. Now it's Marjorie Martin. Which has a better ring to it? I think, and she thinks, the latter has better sound to it, probably because both names start with the letter "M."
Marjorie
Martin.
3) Lastly, it's a pain in the arss getting everthing that's already in your name changed: drivers licence, the deed to your home, social security, insurance claims, etc..
-dsm
