With so much change happening for the Brown family on Meri and Janelle have moved on from their lives with Kody, with both leading separate lives miles away from Kody and his remaining wife, Robyn Brown. Both have seemingly adjusted to post-polygamy life, as has Kody's third wife, Christine Brown Woolley, who left him in 2021 and got remarried to David Woolley in 2023.

It's normal for a person to revert back to their maiden name after a marriage ends. In the case of Sister Wives, it's slightly more complicated, since there is so much history and so many children involved. It's also complicated because of the legal marriage aspect. Kody married Meri legally in 1990, but they divorced in 2014 so Kody could legally marry Robyn and adopt her three children from a previous marriage. Kody and Meri, theoretically, remained "spiritually" married after their legal divorce. Janelle and Christine were never legally married, yet they both took the Brown surname. Complicated, right?

Meri & Janelle Don't Want Any Ties To Kody

Meri & Janelle Have Moved On

After Christine left Kody, a domino effect of wives leaving ensued. Meri, Christine, and Janelle felt trapped in their marriages to Kody, who seemed to favor Robyn. The idea of leaving didn't occur to them, however, since it's unusual in a polygamous family, and the family had a long history.

When they originally went public by being on a reality show, they said the reason they were taking that risk was to show that a true polygamous could be healthy and last forever.

Many factors contributed to the demise of Kody's marriages, including the pandemic. Kody probably didn't see all the divorces coming, but once Christine left, Meri and Janelle soon followed. Christine blazed the trail for Meri and Janelle to leave Kody and pursue their own happiness. Meri moved to Parawon, Utah, to run her bed-and-breakfast, Lizzie's Heritage Inn. Janelle moved to North Carolina and bought a plot of land with her daughter, Madison Brush. The two are in the process of opening Taeda Farms.

The final tie to Kody was recently resolved, as the family's plot of land they purchased in 2018, Coyote , was finally sold and the profits were distributed fairly to Meri and Janelle. Kody had dragged his heels on doing anything with Coyote , which was causing tension among the former wives, who simply wanted to cut all ties with Kody and move forward. Now that the sale is done and Janelle and Meri have gotten their money, there really aren't any ties between them and Kody.

Have Meri & Janelle Mentioned Changing Their Last Names?

They've Both Said They Won't Change Their Names

People reported that Meri, whose maiden name is Barber, has no plans to change her last name. On an episode of Sister Wives that aired in 2024, Meri joked about taking on her great-great-grandmother's maiden name, Davenport, but ultimately, she's sticking with Brown for now. She's stated that she'll change her name if she ever remarries.

"We've talked about it a lot. It's like, okay, I am connected to Kody Brown by having his last name, but at the same time, that's all anybody knows me as. That's all I know myself as for the past 34 years. I definitely wouldn't ever change it back to my maiden name. That would be weird for me. I only had that for 19 years. This one I've had for 34, so it would be weird on that level."

As for Janelle, she and Christine appeared on a podcast called Rogue Energy in early 2025, and the subject of changing their last names came up. As Christine explained how hard it is to change your name, Janelle said she plans on staying a Brown because her children are Browns. Janelle also said she has no plans to remarry, so she'll stay a Brown forever.

"It is a pain in the butt to change your name when you're older, by the way. Oh my gosh. It's a pain in the butt … when you're older it takes so long. There's still some things I'm Christine Brown in. I've got to get it changed over."

Meri & Janelle's Last Names Are Part Of Their Identity & Success

Both Became Public Figures With The Brown Name

Meri and Janelle both became famous with the Brown last name. For a long time, the name was a huge part of their identities. It united them within the family unit, and it gave a name to all the children. For what it's worth, Christine still uses Brown in her name on Instagram, identifying herself as Christine Brown Woolley. It's unclear if this is her legal name, or just the name she uses on social media, but clearly, Christine's been advised to keep Brown. It helps identify her, and it's also a way to connect her to her kids.

How Would Changing Their Names Affect Things?

It Might Be Difficult From A Brand Perspective

Christine, Meri, Janelle, and even Kody and Robyn are most commonly known as having the Brown last name. Even though Christine has changed her name, she's still most commonly known as Christine Brown. The same goes for the Brown kids who've gotten married. They might have new names legally, but they'll always be Browns in many peoples' eyes.

The issue with changing Meri and Janelle's last name is that it could hurt them from a branding perspective.

If they're looking at their careers beyond the show, they might have projects and opportunities that come up because of their connection to Sister Wives and the Brown family, so it might make more sense to keep Brown in their name somewhere, even if it's in the middle, so that audiences can easily identify them. If they remove the symbolism from the name, and recognize that they are Browns in name only, it might be best for them to keep it.

Sister Wives airs Sundays at 10 p.m. EDT on TLC.

Sources: People, Rogue Energy/Apple Podcasts