Marriage - The Giving/Taking of a New Name?

Question

I'm not sure why, but as a female, it has always been important to me that a man would think highly enough of me to "give" me his name, so to speak in marriage. And as I think about it, it's almost a covering in some ways that the man promises to take care of his wife for eternity. But I can also see another side - is the changing of a woman's name to a man's just another old formality where women are viewed as men's possessions? What do you think?

Answer 1

It's traditional to take the husband's surname when a woman marries -- Mr. and Mrs. So-and-so. However, some women retain their maiden name or hyphenate their given surname with that of their husband for business and professional reasons, or because they are independent free-thinkers, or wish to maintain their identities for personal reasons. I guess it's a matter of choice, but the majority of the population uses the husband's name, probably for the first reasons you mention, which are lovely thoughts, by the way. I guess I'm one of the vast majority because I'm an old-fashioned girl by choice.