U.S. Olympian Destinee Hooker -- I Got Married, But ... I'll Always Be a Hooker

Silver medalist Destinee Hooker secretly got married last week -- but the powerhouse volleyball player tells TMZ ... despite the stupid jokes she's been exposed to her entire life (like our headline) she refuses to give it up.

Hooker tells TMZ ... she and her fiance Steven Coulter tied the knot at a courthouse in Texas on September 13 ... but she's not ditching her infamous name just because she got hitched.

Hooker says she loves being a "Hooker" and will simply add on to her nombre -- becoming Destinee Hooker-Coulter from here on out.

So, why the quickie wedding? The v-ball player says she had a short window to get married because she was moving to Russia (she's there now) to play a season of volleyball ... she says there will be a bigger ceremony next year in San Antonio, TX.