Marriage and Last Name Changes

June 9, 2015 

 

This morning, the Elvis Duran Show was discussing husbands & wives deciding what "family name", aka "last name" as used in a handful of countries like the USA, to use upon marriage (or to keep individual family names from the time of birth).  

Here is my conclusion on the matter:  As a couple, the husband and wife can keep their own names.  As parents, however, the parents should put selfishness aside and take a "family name" that they wish the children to have in order to make themselves a family (thus the "family name").  What "family name" is chosen is not so important at the time of marriage, but it can become much more important when a child is added to the mix.  Perhaps those who are indecisive should keep their own names until the first child is born and then decide on a common "family name".  If no children are ever born, then there really is no need for a common "family name", unless the couple wants to represent themselves as a two-person family.

As a genealogist, the traditional practice of a wife taking a husband's "family name" makes research much, much easier.  It would have been even easier, however, if the wife used a hyphenated name that would include BOTH her family name as well as that of her husband.

With today's technology, I suspect genealogy will be much easier with newer generations regardless of chosen family naming conventions.