Question about hyphenated surnames?....?

Question

Say a guy with the last name Smith-Jones marries a girl surnamed Evans-Robinson. They have a son. Given the parents' surnames, the kid's full name is John Smith-Jones-Evans-Robinson.

Another couple, with the surnames Black-Conrad and Woodward-Dubois, marry and have a daughter. The girl's full name is Mary Black-Conrad-Woodward-Dubois.

Twenty-five years later, John Smith-Jones-Evans-Robinson and Mary Black-Conrad-Woodward-Dubois fall in love and get married. Then they have a kid...

How do they name their kid without sounding like a pair of pompous idiots?

Answer 1

I suppose a decision would have to be made at that time regarding what is really important with a name. We have all heard "what's in a name"? I loathe seeing people with hyphenated last names. If you want to keep your last name when you marry, then do so. This should be such an insignificant issue. I would have no problem if my wife would have kept her name. It has no bearing on all the other facets of our relationship which create the entity of marriage and life-long devotion.

I completely agree with you that having a hyphenated last name is pompous and idiotic. Good question.

Answer 2

Very carefully! It's the parents option if they want to add the hyphenated name to the birth certificate or not. The child could have just one of the parent's names. If that were my name, however, I would chop it down and just use the first name in the hyphen......

Answer 3

I'm happy you brought up this topic. Among the chief users of hyphenated surnames were the South's slave owners of the 19th century. I truly belive any modern person using three names is saving one of them as a hedge against inflation.

Answer 4

well generally have you ever met someon who does that? most usually just pick one name. my mom has a hyphenated surname & so does my dad, but I have one surname.

Oddly enough I do have a hyphenated 1st name.

Answer 5

It's all up to taste and choice