baby's last name?

Question

hello all im soon to be a 1st time father, the mother and i arent married, she has a child from another relationship, i told her i wanted our baby to carry my last name we got into a slight disagreement... what determines on which last name the baby will have?

thanks for all your responses i appreciate it even the ones i didnt like thankyou :) i think i ll try to push for the hyphenated name

Answer 1

well sadly it is the mothers choice on what to put on the birth certificate...theres really not a whole lot that you can do about that. You do have approximately 30 days to change any info. on the birth certificate after filling it out so maybe you can reason with her before that time is up.

Answer 2

I think that it is really important that everyone shares the same last name - if the child has your last name and his mother has a different one - that question will arise sometime in the future. I think maybe you should consider getting married, if she is good enough to be your baby's mother - why is she not good enough to be your wife and provide for this child the family in which he could learn from and view as a role model.

I think that is one of the problems in today's society, the fact that adults tend to condone these out of wedlock children and these children follow the same patters when they are older. Teenage girls do not learn the value of becoming a wife and settle for being a baby's mother to a man and these boys do not know the value of making a woman a wife and making her the mother of his child.

Maybe it is not what you wanted to hear but it is something that you should consider. Good Luck. Oh, and for argument sake you should simply hyphen the child's last name and that would not cause any issues between you and your baby's mother.

Answer 3

I would say it's the mother who really decides what the last name will be, whether it's hers, the father's or something completely different. I had a child without being married and I chose to hyphenate our last names on the birth certificate. That's another way to go too.

Answer 4

the parents. Usually, when the parents aren't married, the baby will have a hyphenated last name.
The older child kind of throws a kink in things. The mother may want her kids to have the same last name. With the amount kids get teased in school, I can't say I disagree.

Answer 5

It's up to the mom. There's no rule that the baby has a hyphenated last name. From my personal experience, I see more moms give the child their father's last name rather than theirs, but it's up to the mom. The funny thing about is that she can give the child hers or yours but if she wants to change it later, she needs your legal permission to do so. Kinda odd, isn't it? That you have no say in the initial name but you do if it's changed. Good luck.

Answer 6

I am really sorry to say this, but its the woman's choice on what to call the baby!!! If you and your partner are planning on being together forever (so far as your both concerned) then I don't see why she wouldn't have the baby in your name. I have a child with my first partner, and another child with my husband who I am married to now, and they both have different surnames. In an ideal world I would like for them both to have the same, but unfortunately that's not the case!!!

Good luck, :-) xx

Answer 7

ultimately the mother decides which name the baby will have because legally she is the only parent in the eyes of the law. if you fill out a paternity acknowledgement agreement form in the hospital then you are entitled to rights as the father of the baby. i know that you didn't ask for all this information but i figured i'd help you out since your a first time father. congrats and thanks for doing the right thing!

Answer 8

The mother's choice determines the last name in a case like this.

Answer 9

I think that it is stupid when a women doesn't give her baby, the daddy's last name. Most children are already with their mother, the mother gets to carry the baby and enjoy every monment that the father can't enjoy. One enjoyment for the father is give that child his last name. I hope that she does let you name the baby after you and wish you the best of luck.

Answer 10

i hate hyphenated names. but anyway if you feel strongly about this woman, then discuss getting married and logic dictates that if you are going to get married and she will take your last name why not the baby as well? i know women and logic do not always mix well. ( from a man's point of view)