Do you know what one of the most stressful things for many women is when they get married? Of course, hoping for a perfect wedding is the top priority. But after that, we believe it has to be changing their family name. While some find it easy, others question whether they should do it at all. Well, similar was the case for Lynn Williams—until a special ‘father-daughter’ dance at her wedding changed everything, and she became Lynn Biyendolo.

Of course, for women’s soccer players, changing their name after marriage isn’t an easy decision. The name they choose to adopt impacts many aspects of their professional career—whether it’s on the back of their jersey, or other official records. Everything changes. But Lynn was okay with all of it. Interestingly, however, this was something Sam Mewis overlooked in the latest episode of The Women’s Game podcast.

As she reunited with Lynn and ex-USWNT player Becky Sauerbrunn, to kick off a brand-new season, Mewis accidentally referred to Lynn by her old last name instead of her new one. “And I’m Lynn Biyendolo, so Sam wrote that wrong in the thing,” began the 32-year-old forward, prompting Mewis to gasp in embarrassment. “But I’m coming from my new city Seattle,” she added

While Mewis was surprised by her own mistake, the conversation naturally shifted to Lynn’s decision to change her name. The new Seattle Reign star explained, “So I originally wasn’t going to. I think that the Biyendolo name is amazing and incredible. But I’ve always thought like Williams, this is like an ode to my family and my dad.”

This was one of the dilemmas that Williams constantly had in her mind throughout the wedding. The former Gotham star kept going back and forth on whether she should go forward with a surname change. But thankfully her dad was able to make her decision easier.

“When I was having my father-daughter dance, we were just dancing and talking. He brought it up and he’s like, ‘I think you should change your name on your jersey,'” shared Biyendolo. “He said this is the family you chose to be in and Marley’s an incredible person. So I think you should just change your name.” “Instant tears, obviously,” she added, recollecting the emotional moment.

Her father’s assurance and support made Lynn’s decision much easier, and she went ahead with the name change. Indeed, it is truly a heartwarming gesture from her father. He certainly played a key role in helping his star daughter make one of the most important decisions of her life. Then again, it must have been an easy call for her dad at least, considering he must know the backstory of this title!

Lynn Williams accepting the ‘Biyendolo’ title is more than just special!

Sam Mewis mentioned in the same segment that Lynn often talked about how her significant other’s last name was a special gift to her husband. Expanding on the story, the USWNT forward shared, “Yeah, so the Biyendolo name was gifted to Marley’s dad. And then he decided to give it to Marley and his brother. Besides one other family in the Congo, anybody in the world who has the last name Biyendolo will be directly related. I think that’s really cool.”

Can’t argue with Lynn on that. By taking up the Biyendolo name, not only is she honoring her husband’s African heritage, but she is also getting to be a part of a bigger family.

That is actually quite cool. Of course, as ardent soccer fans, it might be hard for us to get used to the new name. Not to mention that this last name has been represented by her husband Marley in the basketball world. Hence, many may still prefer to call the 2024 Paris Olympic gold medalist Williams. But we reckon that people will get used to this fact and may start addressing Lynn with her new title.