Until the end of the 19th century it was common for women, especially those from a very poor background, not to have a surname and so to be known only by their first names.
From the 1974 Carnation Revolution onwards the adoption of their husbands' surname(s) receded again, and today both the adoption and non-adoption occur, with non-adoption being chosen in the majority of cases in recent years (60%) [REF].