Thursday, May 12, 2005

Lineage, Debates, and Letters

I was always of the opinion that I would keep my last name upon marriage, and definitely would like to pass it on to my children, should they ever exist. I was excited to read this today, and know that other people think similarly.

I like my last name. Its unique. My grandfather chose to keep it when coming to this country and my father wore it proudly. Yes, it causes confusion. Yes, it is always misspelled or mispronounced. But its mine. And I'm the last one with the chance to pass it on.

My cousin (not of the same last name) felt the same way. Until she got married, that is. And then she hyphenated personally and used her maiden name professionally. Though, she did confess that it brings her such a thrill to be called Mrs. Last Name.

And, a dude I know at work hyphenated with his wife's last name, so that they are now BOTH Mr. and Mrs. Yours-Mine.

I have no idea what will happen to my name when that time comes, but its definitely good to hear of how others have handled the situation. And to know that there are a lot of options.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Nice blog. I'm a man and took my wife's name. Our children have it as their surname. It's surprised and angered quite a few people but it's perfectly legal. It created enormous logistical headaches for me (probably over and above what a woman experiences when she changes) but I'd do it all again!