Surname issues

[kindofagirl]

Hi, I started my game and named my Sim Sophie Diaz, she met Jebediah Wilson and they got married, I told computer to take his name Wilson, when I load my game on the main screen where you select the game it shows as Wilson, but in game they are both called Diaz.

Help.

I took them to city hall but there was no option to change name just tour city hall or join political career.

[gerrr00]

To change a name at City Hall you need to make sure you go there during business hours.  I can't remember off the top of my head what the hours are, sorry.

Also when you save your game, choose the option save as, instead of save.  There you can rename your save file to your liking.

[Pam]

You don't actually get a choice of names when your Sims marry.  They will take the name of the Sim who did the proposal.

I'm moving this to the Miscellaneous Help thread because it's not an issue about the game mechanics.

[kindofagirl]

Hmm that's weird because it let me move him into her house and type in the name as Wilson

I just don't understand why on my choose game screen it's Wilson but in game it's diaz haha

[kindofagirl]

Sorry me again.

I changed the file name as you suggested (clicked Save As instead of just save) but its still not solved my problem, I am not sure if I am explaining it right, so I have taken a couple of screen shots to make it clearer.

I know you all prefer us to use the gallery, which I have registered for (just waiting for confirmation), but I was hoping it would be ok to post two pictures hosted on photobucket in the meanwhile.

Ok this one shows my save screen where my game is named as Wilson


And this one shows in play where they are called Diaz


Any ideas?

[Pam]

When you were able to type in Wilson, you were naming the household.  It wasn't naming the Sims themselves.  The family surname is Diaz because that's the one who proposed.  If Wilson had proposed, it would be Wilson.  At the time of marriage, you got a screen letting you choose which house they would live in and who would live there.  This is where you typed in Wilson.  In the game the name of the household can be the family name or something else, for example "Single Moms."  Next, there's the file name, which is what you changed when you did Save As.  That's just the name you give the game file so you'll know what it is.

Here's how to change things:

To change the family surname, go to City Hall during normal business house and change your Sims' names.

To change the name of the household, go to Edit Town from the ... menu button in the lower left corner, select your house, then change the name.

[kindofagirl]

Thank you very much Pam, I shall visit town hall, I finally understand. 

[Sophie98]

Pam's right. Because Sophie proposed, Jebediah took her surname. The females only take their husbands name if he does the proposing. It confused me at first too, but it's all good now.

[CSquared2]

This isn't directly related to the question, but rather to one of the answers given.

You don't actually get a choice of names when your Sims marry.  They will take the name of the Sim who did the proposal.

I had always thought this to be true, too, but playing my Foster Frenzy at the moment my two sims started out engaged.  The woman has commitment issues, so she wouldn't accept her fiancee's proposal.  I had her propose to him instead, and he accepted.  They took his last name.  I can't account for the difference from others' experience.

[Lilygirl]

Yeah, I have an exception, too. In my Dynasty, Fhore Sunburst proposed to her boyfriend, Ernesto Curious, she also initiated the get married interaction. As a married couple, their last name was Curious. It may have something to do with them getting married in China but that's the only thing I can think of. (Their last name was Curious as soon as they got married, it didn't change from Sunburst to Curious when they got back home.)

Sometimes, I think the game is just weird, like real life: there are exceptions to almost every "rule".

But yes, normally the last name of the couple is the last name of the Sim who does the proposing.

[CSquared2]

Sometimes, I think the game is just weird, like real life: there are exceptions to almost every "rule".

And you know, I don't mind it.  Even if taking the husband's last name had not been my original intention, which it was, I like that sometimes little things happen that remind you that even your sims don't always follow the "rules" of life.

[kindofagirl]

It's interesting to hear other people have managed to take the other persons name