Wed 31 Dec 2008
This fun WSO thread on heating included comments from Christophe Dorsey-Guillaumin and Sydney Pitts-Adeyinka. What happens if Christophe marries Sydney? Can we expect to see an Emily Pitts-Adeyinka-Dorsey-Guillaumin in the class of 2041? Or would that be Emily Dorsey-Guillaumin-Pitts-Adeyinka?
Now, obviously, Christophe and Sydney are no more responsible for their names than I am for mine. My point here is not to mock them, or even to mock their parents. I am really curious about the sociology behind hyphenated last names (surely this would make a great entry for Stuff Williams People Like) and the likely future evolution of the trend. What happens when such Ephs get married? I am honestly curious. And, yes, this is Stuff Williams People Like.
And, just to burnish my own progressive credentials, I can honestly claim to be one of the first male Ephs to seriously propose taking his bride’s maiden name in marriage. Captain Fang would have been a kick-ass title in the Marine Corps . . .
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17 Responses to “Naming Conventions”
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Ken Thomas '93 says:
December 31st, 2008 at 6:36 amfrank uible says:
But are your credentials keenly progressive?
December 31st, 2008 at 6:49 amAnother '05 Eph says:
This sounds like a great senior thesis! (Kidding. Sort of.)
I believe the genesis of the hyphenated name is the redefinition of marriage, from a property transfer arrangement to a partnership and the creation of a new family.
The Wikipedia page on surnames has a lot of interesting solutions worldwide to what people do about surnames. Very few countries actually unilaterally adopt the father’s or husband’s surname for all purposes.
The great thing is that Christophe and Emily have the same choices about what to do with their last names as anyone else—hyphenated or not—does.
December 31st, 2008 at 8:49 amPTC says:
Lol. Your kids are going to rebel and join the Navy David. Not a doubt in my mind.
Admiral Kane…. Uh… err…. They already have a famous Navy name!
December 31st, 2008 at 9:35 amKen Thomas '93 says:
Admirala Fang?
December 31st, 2008 at 9:58 amAnother '05 Eph says:
Sounds like a Harry Potter character…
December 31st, 2008 at 10:07 amRich Kelly says:
I’ve said for years that instead of taking the name of your new spouse when marrying, that they should invent an entirely new name that they both take. An increase in creativity at the expense of tradition.
I should mention that nobody I have suggested this to liked the idea. Perhaps if I ever marry again I’ll try it.
December 31st, 2008 at 10:28 amRonit says:
Here’s another male Eph who would gladly have taken his betrothed’s name after marriage, if only so that I wouldn’t have to spell out 13 letters every time someone asks me for my last name on the phone.
December 31st, 2008 at 10:51 amLoweeel says:
@David — there was a Dr. Fang in the area in which I grew up. Dentist, of course.
@Rich — a woman in my law school class (nee Moore) and her husband (nee Taylor) both changed their last names to “Taylormoore” (no space, no hyphen) when they got married.
@Ronit — it could be worse. Just ask Dean Laochamroonvorapongse ‘03.
December 31st, 2008 at 11:13 amsophmom says:
When I got married, I used both names. My maiden name remained my ‘working’ name, and I used my husband’s name for other things; deeds, insurance, marriage and birth certificates, etc. Also, it was useful in that his is a much easier name to spell and pronounce, hence the dry cleaners firmly knew me as Mrs. “X”.
But having children complicates everything (LOL, in more ways than one). It is expected that they will take the surname of the father. And I wanted my last name to match my children’s name, for school, for traveling, so I started using both surnames together, and eliminated my middle name just to try and simplify things. I have both names on my passport and driver’s license. That way I can usually sign a check or credit card with the shorter surname only. But now the DMV has further complicated things by accidentally hyphenating the two last names, which I haven’t bothered to fix, because we all know the rigmarole of dealing with the DMV…
December 31st, 2008 at 11:37 amDick Swart says:
In a former marriage. we used both names but separated them by a “/”. Sometimes we would just use the initials separated by the “/”. As we both had strong interests in design, we felt our name was more of a logo.
The brand is no longer on the shelves.
December 31st, 2008 at 12:36 pmsophmom says:
LOL, Dick…accomplishing “brand” longevity is no easy feat considering the “odds”…or should I say the “oddities” inherent in a merge(ing).
I often use “/” when I address a note or card to a couple who have different surnames.
December 31st, 2008 at 1:19 pmfrank uible says:
Doesn’t this all come under the heading, “Unduly Complicating One’s Life”?
December 31st, 2008 at 3:51 pmPTC says:
When a man gives a woman his family name… he honors her by asking her to accept the name, and she honors him by doing so… you only do it once. There is permanence to it. We joined as one, under one name, to raise a family together. It was a big deal for me.
December 31st, 2008 at 4:00 pmAnother '05 Eph says:
@Rich—I had a friend marry this summer who combined parts of each partner’s last name into a new one that they both share. They came up with two combinations that they were equally happy with and had guests vote on their wedding website, then announced it at the wedding. It was adorable.
@sophmom–My mother did the same thing, eventually settling with the new middle name. Once the brand was…erm…off the shelves, she stuck with my dad’s last name because the hassle of changing everything, particularly her AOL email address, was too much.
December 31st, 2008 at 5:55 pmDick Swart says:
PTC -
A wonderful statement in these times.
Does this mean, however, that I can’t be your campaign manager after all?
‘Three’s the Charm’ Swart
December 31st, 2008 at 8:45 pmSydney Pitts-Adeyinka says:
My parents wanted me to have both names. But my kids will definitely have ONE last name.
January 3rd, 2009 at 9:57 pm