If a husband and wife have different last names whose last name should their kids have?

Question

For example man is johnson and wife is stevenson? Which last name will the kids have?

Answer 1

This is a question of proper etiquette and unfortunately, good manners, proper decorum & protocol are all but lost in today's society. People pretty much do whatever they want; right or wrong. When all the rules of modern etiquette were developed, marriages were only between a man & a woman. The very essence of propriety required that the woman assume the man's last name. So, it would be safe to say that if there was a rule it would have been that the child would share the husband's last name.
The future social life of the child should be considered, as well as possible future legal issues, like if he were to leave a sack of cash behind, who are the heirs? And how would you prove it? You should also be aware that in most cases when a woman keeps her maiden name in a marriage, eventually, if only for convenience, she will give it up in favor of her husband's last name. For any children at that point who may have the wife's last name, the change requires court action & possible physcological issues may arise in the kids.
Best solution: Give 'em Dad's name!

Answer 2

There is no right or wrong answer. You and your husband will have to decide on this one. My hubby and I opted to use both of our last names since I have continued to use my maiden name professionally (I was already well established in my career when we married and didn't want to create any confusion amongst my clients). We're not hyphenating it, just simply Micheal Steven Johnson Stevenson. Some families also include the wife's maiden name when there is no other male heirs to continue the family line.

Answer 3

I believe that it is both parents choice. I figured that since i put half on a child, that the child should have my last name too. So i hyphenated their last names. It would read Johnson- Stevenson or Stevenson-Johnson

Answer 4

Nowadays many children are taking the mothers last name but of course tradition would choose the fathers. Then theres the options of hyphenating both names or even legally making a new name that is a combo of both or something completely different. In the end whatever works best for the family is the best option.

Answer 5

That depends on the parents. They can always go with hyphenated. For ex.: Little Jimmy Stevenson-Johnson. Generally, children end up with their father's last name.

Answer 6

They should be given both names that way you can trace their family. Instead of a traditional middle name, give them the mother's last name. For instance: Jake Stevenson Johnson.

Answer 7

Everybody in that house last name should be Johnson. Why wouldnt this woman change her last name after she gets married, cause that's her last name, she might as well use it. And if I was a man, how I look, married with kids and they aint got my last name? What kinda mess. When two people get married (man and woman), the husbands name becomes the family name.

Answer 8

It's up to you, but most people I know give their kids the father's name. I also know of a couple of families where girls get the mother's name and boys the father's. And some hyphenate. I've heard of couples choosing a name that combines the two ("Johnvenson"?), but that would be a name for the *whole* family, not just the kids.

Answer 9

Typically it is the husbands last name that the children take, but i know couples who hyphenate the last names "Stevenson-Johnson"

Answer 10

They should have their father's last name. Is there a specific reason that the wife has not taken the husband's name?