Marriage and Names

Perseus

Perseus

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What does everyone feel about when couples get married, the wife takes the husbands name? What is your view of this tradition? As the wife, would you want to keep your name and just add the husband's name on? Or are you all for the tradition? Do you think both people should take both names?
 
Well, interesting you should bring this up.

Apparently, my father-in-law named my wife without a middle name, so that when she would be married, she would transfer her last name as her middle name and her husband's last name as her married last name. I thought that was interesting, because it kind of keeps the tradition of acquiring the married name without completely losing the heritage of the maiden name. If we have a girl as our third child, we will continue this tradition. :)
 
I like the tradition, when a woman takes the mans last name, but i am old school with alot of those types of things. ... but yet i am still under 30. I just think it shows a larger sign of commitment.
 
From a historical perspective, the wife taking the husband's last name implies ownership. I suppose that perspective goes both ways; i.e., there are "things" that change in a man's life when he gets married.
 
good question...i really don't care...if she doesn't she better be wearing the ring j/k ;) no its all up to the girl
 
I am not trying to imply that i would "own" my wife, and i aggree that it is ultimately up to the woman as to what she wants to do. I was just stating my personal preference.
 
I guess you could call me old-fashioned (even though I'm only 25) because I wanted my wife to take my name.
Granted, I wasn't going to force her, I left it up to her (but hoped). She felt the same though, and took my name.

what's funny is sometimes her grandparents will still send something in the mail with her maiden name. She gets all flustered, "It's been 4 years!!! why can't they remember?" lol

I like the tradition, but for me, I would have left it up to her in the end.
 
My wife kept her maiden name. It didn't really bother me, but it has caused confusion now and then. People assume we have the same last name, and so often call or write to me with HER last name, as often as they call/write to her with mine.
 
i'm used to 3 different traditions.

1) italy: both keep their names.

2) hispanic: both keep their names. children get combined, e.g. mum = maria sanchez gonzales and dad = jose alvarez diaz >> kids last names will be alvarez sanchez (1st last name of dad, plus 1st last name of mum)

3) northern. traidionally woman got man's last name, as she was seen as part of property (mentally).

So mine ... meh, as long as I like a last name (which I do), I would change anyway. Got bored of the one I am having. Plus it would be more annoying in the [beep] Directory. :)
 
Interesting - in the Spanish tradition, people will have the (first) last names of each of their parents, but when you go one generation back, those will both be the first last names of their grandfathers. So, it takes a generation, but names are still passed down patrilineally. Or would that be grand-patrilineally...

My wife kept her name, and I really expected she would all along - if nothing else, because her first name and my last name sound kind of goofy together... It does cost us a couple of dollars extra a month to have two entries in the phone book ;P

My mother took my father's last name, dropped her middle name, and uses her maiden name as her new middle name. (well, not all that new, it's not like they're newlyweds or anything)
 
Ricky said:
I've actually heard of some cases where the man takes the woman's last name!
Click to expand...

meh! heard too of those cases. but i won't let that happen if i'd ... errr.. :p
 
Iceland, as far as I know, is one of the "special case":
boys take the first name of the father as last name: Axel Axelson (Axel son of Axel)
girls take the first name of the mother as last name: Inge Ingedotir (Inge dauther of Inge)

In Switzerland, there is a large choice:
both take the man's name (usual)
both take the woman's name
both take both names (man's name first)
man keep his name and the wife keep here name
man keep his name and the wife get both names
 
To become a citizen of Iceland, you have to change your name to the Icelandic form - so, I would have to change my name from Mark Senior to Mark Johnson, for example.

Supposedly, the Icelandic authorities can get sticky if the people's names aren't traditional ones in Iceland. You can always change your own name from Barikisu to Inge, but can you talk your mom into changing her name from Nkem to Hilde?
 
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