ELYRIA, Ohio — More than six months after their wedding, Joseph Harkless and Christina Ellison finally have the same last name — but it's not his.

        Joseph Ellison, 20, told the Chronicle Telegram that he took his wife's last name because he loves her.“It's so sad to me because my dad was the last boy in his family and there are no more Ellisons. So we're like extending the name,” Ms. Ellison, 21, said.

        The couple, who are formally called Ms. and Mr. Christina Ellison, married June 16, but Mr. Ellison's name change was delayed by the license and Social Security bureaus, Ms. Ellison said.

        A criminal investigation was conduc ted to make sure Mr. Ellison was not changing his name to skirt the law.

        “The Social Security bureau said they would have to do a credit investigation and a criminal investigation to see if he had killed people in other states and was trying to run away,” Ms. Ellison said.

        “Finally they said they were sick of dealing with it and were finally going to do it.”

        They hope to become an example to others wanting to keep the wife's name.

        “Everyone keeps saying, "Man, if I had known that, I would have had my husband change his name,'” Ms. Ellison said. “My sister's going to do it next. They got married in November, and they're going to change his name soon too.”

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