When Ertha Pascal married Ernst Trouillot, she kept her maiden name and became Ertha Pascal-Trouillot

Ertha Pascal-Trouillot is one example of a professional Haitian woman who, proud of her family name and her achievements, got married and kept her last name.

Though she did not keep it entirely, she added her husband's Trouillot last name to her last name, Pascal, and became known as Ertha Pascal-Trouillot

Her decision to keep her family's last name flying high even after her marriage brought a lot of pride to the Pascal family.

Ertha Pascal-Trouillot achieved numerous groundbreaking milestones in her career including becoming the first woman president of Haiti.

Her decision to bring her Pascal maiden name to new heights as a Haitian woman became one for the history books.

In Haitian culture, a woman get married, she loses her last name and take her husband's last name. That's what we all know to be true. While the majority of Haitian women do adopt their husband's name after marriage, an increasing number of women are choosing to retain their maiden names or combine it with the last name of their husbands. This decision is creating problems in many relationships.

Read: Embracing Identity: Why some Haitian women retain their maiden names and refuse to take their husbands names after marriage

Ertha Pascal-Trouillot achieved numerous groundbreaking milestones in her career. She made a lot of firsts in her professional life. Ertha Pascal-Trouillot made history as the first female judge in Haiti, serving on the Court of First Instance.

Read: Ertha Pascal-Trouillot, the first woman President of Haiti

Read more about Haitian Presidents, Ertha Pascal-Trouillot, Ernst Trouillot, Haiti Photo Stories

Return to List...