Tamara and Simon Pace are a regular couple from regional Victoria — who made an announcement at their wedding that shocked their guests.

It wasn’t a pregnancy.

It wasn’t a move overseas.

It was the fact that Simon had decided to take on Tamara’s surname.

“They (Tamara’s family) were blown away actually, a couple of them were in tears over it,” Simon told Channel Ten’s 

The Project.

“I got bumped up in the popularity stakes real fast,” he said, laughingly adding: “I’ve gone downhill a bit since then.”

But Tamara says the move was met with scepticism by some. “A few people were like, “they’ve made a mistake, they’ve got that wrong, it can’t be right’,” she said.

“A few people were like, “they’ve made a mistake, they’ve got that wrong, it can’t be right’,” Tamara said.

It’s a response that’s disappointing but perhaps understandable, given that the latest statistics show an overwhelming minority of husbands — around two percent —  took their wives’ last names after marriage.

That’s right: A 2012 study found that 64 percent per cent of married people in Victoria had the same last name, and that around 98 percent of those women had taken their husband’s surname.

The study, by Swinburne University of Technology sociologist Deborah Dempsey and Monash University’s Jo Lindsay, drew on data from an online survey and records from the Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.

And while the study couldn’t determine exactly how many Victorians changed their surname upon marrying (due to a lack of mandatory reporting requirements), its

 online survey found more than half of married women assumed  their partner’s surname — and 

Dr Dempsey believes the overall figure to be closer to 80 and 95 per cent of women, as in the US or Norway.

The Codringtons share Leisl’s maiden name.

As Fairfax reports, that’s because

 the 

survey was from a highly educated sample, and overseas research suggests educated women are less likely to change their surnames.

For Liesl Codrington and Brendan 

Uppill

from Canberra, the surname issue has been a complex one.

“When we got married, I changed my surname to Brendan’s surname automatically,” Liesl told The Project

.

 “I just saw that as an expected thing to do.”

But she had second thoughts about her new surname after their wedding day — and ultimately reverted back to her maiden name.

“I didn’t like the sound of Liesl Uppill,” she said. “I guess my reasoning for changing back to Codrington my maiden name was a vain reason.”

When the couple had kids, Brendan took his wife’s surname. And now, the entire family shares Leisl’s original name.

It works just fine for them, as Brendan told The Project.

“Not to say that this is the way that it should always be,” Brendan said. “but it should be an equal opportunity for guys or girls,” Brendan said.

The Project will air at 6:30pm tonight, Friday 5 September, on Channel Ten.

Did you take your husband’s surname? Would your partner ever take yours?

A few celebrities who took their wives’ surnames:

Jay Z. Legal name: Shawn Knowles-Carter. The power couple decided on the hyphenated surname as Beyonce's parents have no sons.

John Lennon. Legal name: John Ono Lennon Added wife's name. "Yoko changed her name for me, I've changed mine for her. One for both, both for each other. She has a ring, I have a ring. It gives us nine 'O's between us, which is good luck. Ten would not be good luck."

Antonio Villaraigosa. Legal name: Antonio Villaraigosa. Mr Villarigosa served as the Los Angeles Mayor from 2005 - 2013. In 1987 when he married his wife, they made the unusual decision to combine their names (Antonio Villa and Corina Raigosa). They divorced in 2007.

Jack White. Legal name: Jack White Completely took wife's name. Often mistaken for brother and sister, Jack and his White Stripes band mate Meg actually got married back in 1996. Jack Gillis took Meg White's last name. The couple divorced in 2000.

Jay Mohr. Legal name: Jay Ferguson Cox Mohr Added wife's name. As a second wedding anniversary present to his wife, Jay Mohr legally changed his name to Jay Cox Mohr.