1) While your own credit score will not immediately change, you have to worry about the fact that  for major or large or joint purchases, both you and your spouse's credit will be run. (Even if you are looking to buy something in your own name, the seller may run both your scores, on the grounds that your spouse's financial stability will impact your ability to pay.) Thus, when buying a house, a car, renting an apartment, etc., there is a good chance that you will be impacted by your spouse's score.2) If you both purchase something, sign up jointly for a service, etc., and you end up defaulting not due to your own fault but because your spouse doesn't/can't pay the spouse's share, that will then hurt your credit score.3) A name change does not affect credit score, though it may sometimes make it more difficult for a potential creditor to run the score for the right person--just make sure to inform people of the former name, too, if they need to check credit, if you want to make sure they see the right information.