This is a list of notable people who have changed, adopted or adjusted their surnames based on a mother's or grandmother's maiden name.
[1] In mediaeval times where a great family died out in the male line, an alternative male heir to the estates was selected as one of the younger sons of a daughter, who was required by the bequest to adopt, by royal licence, in lieu of his patronymic, his maternal surname and coat of arms for himself and his descendants.
[2] People in Sweden have recently begun adopting maternal line surnames in an effort to broaden the number of last names in the country.
"[4] A person's mother's maiden name is used by many financial institutions as a key piece of information to validate a customer's identity.
Researchers asked a random sample of people on London streets a series of questions, beginning with "What is your name?"