10 Celebrities Who Kept Their Exes' Last Name After the Split

See who didn't change their names back following a divorce and why they stuck with their married monikers.

Getting a divorce may mark the start of a new chapter, but some people choose to hold on to a piece of the past. After all the paperwork is signed, there are divorcees who decide to keep the last name of their previous spouse.

In Hollywood, it’s fairly common for stars to keep their prior surnames, especially when it’s become a part of their public identity. In other cases, people may want to remain connected to their children with the same last name -- and there are some who just don’t want to do the paperwork! No matter what their reasoning, these stars kept their name after the split.

Read on to find out which stars didn’t change their name after their divorce.

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1. Kris Jenner

Kardashian matriarch Kris Jenner has kept her ex Caitlyn Jenner’s last name, despite having been divorced for a number of years. While the world now knows her by the last name Jenner, Kris has actually considered changing her surname to that of her first husband Robert Kardashian on multiple occasions. While she was still married to Caitlyn, she considered going by Kris Kardashian to keep her branding consistent with her famous daughters. Then, in 2016, Kris brought it up again after her split from Caitlyn.

“I’m gonna change my name back to Kardashian. I was that before [my daughters] were that. I was the original Kardashian…[My maiden name] just doesn’t sound right. If Bruce can change his name to Caitlyn I think I’m good,” Kris said on Keeping Up With The Kardashians .

So far, Kris has kept Jenner as her last name.

2. Demi Moore

When Demi Moore was still a teenager, she tied the knot with her first husband Freddy Moore -- legally changing her name from Demi Guynes to the name that the world knows her by to this day. Despite splitting from Freddy several years later, she decided to keep his last name. Even when she was married to Bruce Willis and later Ashton Kutcher, Demi opted to keep the name of her first husband -- although she did briefly use the name “Mrs. Kutcher” on Twitter. After her divorce from Ashton, she explained that name changes have never been a top priority for her.

“Changing my twitter name isn’t a top priority right now,” she wrote . “Sorry it bothers so many of u. should I not tweet until I do? does it really matter?”

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3. Faith Hill

Faith Hill was born Audrey Faith Perry but she gained her famous last name when she married her husband Daniel Hill in 1988. While they were married, Faith rose to fame and after their divorce six years later, Faith opted to keep the name that the world had come to know her by. When she tied the knot with Tim McGraw in 1996, she chose to legally change her name to Faith McGraw but professionally continues to be known as Faith Hill.

4. Ivana Trump

Donald Trump’s first wife Ivana grew up with the last name Zelníčková but when they tied the knot, she became known as Ivana Trump. Even after their divorce, Ivana chose to keep the last name of her ex husband. While the world knew her by her famous last name, Ivana did often choose not to include it in her business ventures. In the early ’90s, Ivana opted to call her fashion and fragrance company House of Ivana in order to prove she could make it big without the help of her husband.

“I’d move five thousand bottles of perfume in an evening,” Ivana wrote in Raising Trump of selling her line on television. “My sales record was $675,000 in one hour. If I didn’t sell $200,000 an hour, it was a disappointment. I absolutely had something to prove. I could earn a fabulous living on my own, using just my first name.”

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5. Camille Grammer

Camille Grammer’s maiden name is Donatacci but when she married Kelsey Grammer, she took his last name. Despite a contentious divorce, she continued to use his last name for years, explaining that she wanted to have the same last name as her children. Even after Camille married her second husband David Meyer, she continued to go by Grammer.

“The primary reason is for my kids. That’s it,” Camille explained on a Real Housewives of Beverly Hills reunion. “David is all for it. He said, ‘Both of your kids’ last name is Grammer. I understand that.’ He has no problem.”

Around 2020, Camille changed her social media handles to include the last name Meyer and now goes by Camille Meyer professionally and personally.

6. Susan Sarandon

Susan Sarandon was born with the name Susan Abigail Tomalin but in 1967, she tied the knot with her husband Chris Sarandon. Susan took on her husband’s surname and the couple were married for 12 years. When they split, Susan chose to keep her ex’s last name and has never looked back.

7. Kimora Lee Simmons

Kimora Lee Simmons gained her famous last name when she tied the knot with Russell Simmons in 1998. When the couple split a little over a decade later, she continued to use her ex’s name. Kimora explained that by that time, it would have been hard to change the name of her companies and start using another name professionally.

“I don’t know! Would my companies still be the same? I’ve already been Kimora Lee Simmons for 10 years. I don’t know,” she reportedly said at the time. “Would you ask Ivana Trump that? When it comes to my brand, my brand is KLS…Russell doesn’t care. I worked as hard for that name as he did!”

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8. Joy Behar

Joy Behar was born Josephine Occhiuto but as a little girl, she was given the nickname Joy. When she later tied the knot with her first husband, Joe Behar, she took on his last name. The couple were married for over 15 years but when they divorced, she chose to keep his last name. Despite having a longtime partner whom she married in 2011, Joy has continued to keep the surname of her first husband.

“I have my first husband’s last name because back in the day, that’s what you did. It was a long time ago. Also, it was easier to spell than my maiden name which is unpronounceable,” Joy shared on The View .

9. Melinda Gates

Melinda Gates grew up with the last name French but when she married her husband Bill Gates, she decided to take on his surname. The couple were married for over 25 years and when they split, Melinda decided to keep her ex-husband’s name. While she did not opt to make any legal name changes, as shown in divorce proceeding paperwork , she did publicly add her maiden name to her handles on social media.

10. Scheana Shay

Vanderpump Rules star Scheana Shay had just married her husband Mike Shay when the show premiered. They were married for just a few years and after their split, she opted to keep his last name. While fans have known her as Scheana Shay for almost a decade, she says she’s now hoping to change her last name since she’s tied the knot with Brock Davies. While Brock says Scheana’s last name “doesn’t bother [him] at all,” they do want to share a name with their daughter, Summer Moon Honey Davies.

“Well, we both want to change our names, because he wants to legally add ‘Honey’ to his name,” she explained on Scheananigans with Scheana Shay . “So I haven’t changed mine yet, because if I change mine now just from our marriage certificate, then it goes to just Scheana Marie Davies, and I want it to be Scheana Marie Honey Davies.”

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