Read with care. This article gives a married woman options, it does not impose a duty. The word the law uses is may. Nothing here requires a wife to take her husband’s surname, and nothing requires her to change the name on documents already issued in her maiden name.
Text of the provision
Art. 370. A married woman may use:
(1) Her maiden first name and surname and add her husband's surname, or
(2) Her maiden first name and her husband's surname or
(3) Her husband's full name, but prefixing a word indicating that she is his wife, such as "Mrs."
Civil Code of the Philippines, Republic Act No. 386, approved June 18, 1949, effective August 30, 1950. Reproduced in full; verified verbatim against the LawPhil and ChanRobles official-text renderings.
What this article means
A married woman may use her maiden first name and surname with her husband’s surname added; or her maiden first name with her husband’s surname; or her husband’s full name prefixed by a word showing she is his wife, such as “Mrs.” The article offers options, not a command.
Related provisions
- Article 369 — Surname After Annulment.
- Article 371 — Wife’s Name After Annulment.
Cases citing this article
- Ma. Virginia V. Remo vs. The Honorable Secretary of Foreign Affairs, G.R. No. 169202, March 5, 2010 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- Ma. Amelita C. Villarosa vs. The House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal and Ricardo V. Quintos, G.R. No. 143351, September 14, 2000 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- Richelle Busque Ordoña vs. The Local Civil Registrar of Pasig City and Allan D, G.R. No. 215370, November 9, 2021 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- Victorino Salcedo II vs. COMELEC & Ermelita Cacao Salcedo, G.R. No. 135886, August 16, 1999 — read the decision on LawPhil →
Compiled automatically from Supreme Court decisions published on LawPhil that expressly cite this article, most frequently cited first. A listing means the decision cites the provision — it is not a statement that the case is the leading authority, and it does not show whether a ruling has since been modified or abandoned. Always read the decision itself.