Why do so many women hyphenate their last names now?

Question

I mean when a guy; no matter how rich or how poor he is; asks a girl to marry him he's basically offering her the one thing that he will always have that won't run the risk of crashing with the stalk market, that will always be his greatest possesion, and he's offering to share it (not only share but GIVE it) with her. And she is basically turning around slapping him in the face and saying "NO! Your last name is not good enough for me!" Why? I would feel honored if the guy I loved (who I have yet to meet) wanted to share his name with me. I wouldn't want to insult it by tacking on anything else to it.

Answer 1

When a women hypherate there maiden and married names
its is because it is easy to drop the last name and a sum there maiden name with out going through the trouble of paying to get it back. it cose about 500.00 doller to get a name change that is why the mark is so important to many women, also as well it is use for last names only and not make your mauden name becone your middle name to

Answer 2

I think they want to keep their own 'identity,' yet be associated with their husband. What happens when one of their kids takes their hyphenated name and marries someone else with a hyphenated name? What do their children do as far as a last name goes? - it gets confusing. The thing with the woman using Mrs. with her husband's first name is common where I am from - the south, and I'm used to it, my mother's always done it. I never did when I was married, I just used my first name and my husband's last name. My sister is very proud of being an established 'professional' and refused to take her husband's name when she married in her early thirties. She goes by her maiden name. I do think you should use your maiden name or your husband's name as a last name, none of this hyphenation BS to show the world how you feel.

Answer 3

As far as new spouses changing surnames, in the West, ALL surnames are mens' names. It's not really "the woman's name". Instead of her husband's surname, the hyphenating or maiden-named woman would just be keeping her father's or her maternal grandfather's surname. So if she's going to change her name at all, the only option that makes sense to me is for a bride to choose the name of whichever of those three men she admires most. If the marriage has any chance, that would probably be the husband. If the man admires his wife, father-in-law or either of his grandfathers-in-law more than his own father, then he would be justified in changing his name to his wife's surname. Those are the only legitimate reasons I would think for anyone changing their names at marriage. The rest seem to be ideological, philosophical or political, and hyphenation is rather cumbersome, and seems indecisive.

Answer 4

Well if you have already been married and had your children and they are grown up now they really down want you to depart with their last name, so if you were Mrs Brown when you got married and had children that's what the children want you to keep, so you remarried and your new name is Johnson you would hyphenate Brown-Johnson . and that what you would use buy you still take on the marries name Johnson.

Answer 5

It's not about that, the woman may want to give him her name? It shouldn't be an insult, combining your two names is much more romantic.If just the woman does it then she is taking the guys name but also keeping her own family name.

My husband and I both completely joined our names as a symbol of our partnership

Answer 6

Women taking the man's last name is based on an archaic law that said women were possessions that belonged to the man once they married. It had NOTHING to do with the man being generous and loving. And now...it's just a formality.

It's sad that you think your last name has so little meaning and history that you'd give it up to honor someone else.

Answer 7

Interesting that you consider a marriage proposal to be an offer of sharing a NAME with you, instead of sharing a LIFE with you.

I chose the man, not his name. His surname was inconsequential to the whole deal. What does it matter what it was? Are we living in high society circa 1880??

I hyphenated my surname because I'd had a significant number of professional contacts made before I married. The hyphenation allowed for better identification of who I was if I left a phone message or wrote an email and allowed for references to follow me without confusion.

Answer 8

They do it to be cute and trendy. It's cumbersome and annoying at best. It's also just one more way to show hatred of the so called patriarchy.

Answer 9

well have u thought that your father gave you his name and your also saying "NO! I don't want your last name anymore cause i want someone elses" you end your father's last name, its like erasing your family.aren't you proud of your last name? wouldn't you want to keep it forever and die with it since you were given to it at birth.

I don't think its disrespecting your spouse in anyway cause when u hyphenate your last name your simply saying I was born into this family but now i have also joined this family. besides why do we women have to take mens last name why cant it be the other way? why wouldn't a man want his wife to keep her last name anyways. well at the end, everyone has their reasons why or why not.

Answer 10

I don't think it's an insult.

If I do get married, ever, I want to be able to keep a part of me. As well, I'm Chinese. I probably might not marry a Chinese, and would like to keep that Chinese part of me attatched to me and my future family. It's not an insult. I think you're just taking it too seriously.

It's just a way to keep a part of ourselves, expecially in this new expanding world, and make sure whatever it was that we had, lives on safely.