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Which parents last name does a kid take?

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In Spanish, names are never hiphanated. The names pile on. Never hiphanated

You are completely right, but in certain areas of Spain there's some tradition to hyphenate surnames that still goes on. It's a legal change that must be done through the civil register office and it's independent of having a child, but most parents will do the change at the same time they name their newborn so the new generation starts with the new surname. Then the first two surnames (father and mother) become one hyphenated and the father's second surname becomes the child's second surname.

I don't know why it was done in the past but in some society circles there are surnames that are/were considered too common or vulgar. Usually when the father's surname ends in -ez (Martínez, Pérez, Sánchez, Fernández, López, Hernández, etc) or García. They'll hyphenate the surnames to give them some distinction.

So, for example, Martínez becomes Martínez-Zurita, García becomes García-Nieto, Pérez becomes Pérez-Reverte, etc.
 
My Mom and Dad were never married and split up before I was born (I'm a bastard apparently) but I took my Mom's last name. My Dad was in my life so it wasn't like that, I guess it's just how things work.
 
He said little hyphenation. And really, there is nothing wrong with it if people have good sense and taste to use it. Lévi-Strauss and Day-Lewis are pretty badass surnames.

then when Levi-Strauss gets married to Day-Lewis, what do they do? call their kid Marc-Anthony Day-Lewis-Levis-Strauss?
 
Opposite here and my wife agreed. I would never be with a chick that wanted her name and mine put together. I also think it would be silly if we were married and she had her last name still. Seems strange to me to be married but have different names.

Also my kid has my last name. Again strange to have names all over the place.

Would you consider taking your wife's name then? And having your whole family have her surname?
 
First hand knowledge that at least in my area the kid always takes the dad's last name. I don't particularly agree with this at all, but I have noticed that it's the trend.
 
I've never liked hyphenated names. I don't know why....it just kinda ruins the name to me.

At the same time, I don't think it's right to just expect the mother to toss her family name aside.

Luckily, I don't plan on ever having kids so I won't have to resolve this issue!
 
I've never liked hyphenated names. I don't know why....it just kinda ruins the name to me.

At the same time, I don't think it's right to just expect the mother to toss her family name aside.

Luckily, I don't plan on ever having kids so I won't have to resolve this issue!
Flip a coin Yo. Then all the kids can have that name. Seems like an elegant solution to me.
 
I say whichever last name is coolest. I'm not a fan of my father's side of the family, so I have no problem dumping that, but if it had been cooler, I would have discussed having my husband take mine or hyphenating, etc. For our kid, same thing.
 
I've always liked the idea of starting a new family name when I (hopefully) get a family. Nothing against my family name, but it's never really felt like an important part or my identity, and I feel like if me and the future missus could agree on one for the three (or four) of us I'd be far more significant.
 
Our daughter has my last name. If my girlfriend and I ever decide to get married, then it would make sense for all to have the same last name right. I dunno, I filled out the form at the hospital cause girlfriend was too drugged up after her c section so I just filled in my name. I thought that was the normal thing to do, name the child after the dad.
 
I say whichever last name is coolest. I'm not a fan of my father's side of the family, so I have no problem dumping that, but if it had been cooler, I would have discussed having my husband take mine or hyphenating, etc. For our kid, same thing.

I'd go with this but there's a bit of a conundrum in my case. Assuming we ever have kids, I told my girlfriend I'd rather have them have her last name because it's a much more interesting name, but she wants to adopt my last name when we get married because she hates her family. So they'd probably end up with my last name, which I think is boring.
 
I'm very old fashioned in the sense that it's very, very important for me to pass my name on to my child. Add to this the fact that I'm the only male of my generation on that side of the family and it becomes even more important. Thankfully my SO has a rather horrible family history and has no interest in passing her name on so it works out.

As far as marriage goes I couldn't care less, coming from a family with lots of proud females, the idea that my wife take my name has never been a big deal to me. I wouldn't want my sister to give up her name so I'd never ask my wife to do the same.

But my kids are getting my name 100%.
 
Despite all that and despite loving my name, I think I'd push for my husband's last name, because I think it's sad if fear of racism is what pushes him towards picking mine.

Looks like your husbands reverse psychology is working.
 
Our daughter has my last name. If my girlfriend and I ever decide to get married, then it would make sense for all to have the same last name right. I dunno, I filled out the form at the hospital cause girlfriend was too drugged up after her c section so I just filled in my name. I thought that was the normal thing to do, name the child after the dad.

It is. I think the more interesting and relevant question is if that assumption should continue being the norm in a world that's ostensibly trying to eradicate sexism.
 
Also women should keep their last names in marriage. I say that as a man. I would be pissed if I got married and was expected to change my last name.
I have also always been confused by the persistence of both of these blatantly patriarchal traditions. I think people should sit down and talk it out without assuming that any of the options are automatically off the table.
 
I have also always been confused by the persistence of both of these blatantly patriarchal traditions. I think people should sit down and talk it out without assuming that any of the options are automatically off the table.

The frustrating thing is that people don't even stop for a moment to consider that this tradition is an artifact of the patriarchy. Just look at how so many posters in this very thread were dismissive if not hostile of hyphenated names. While hyphenated names are an admittedly inelegant solution, it disappoints me that so many people can't even seem to consider why the trend emerged.
 
if the world functioned like the average Neogaf user prefers, it would be just a notch higher than living in a society based on the standards of a tumblr user.
 
40% of kids in the US are born out of wedlock. You can't just assume people are married anymore.

That change is so interesting. What caused it?

I feel like 85% of the people I know have two married parents. Off the top of my head, the only "illegitimate" people I know personally are my ex, a couple friends of mine, a handful of high school classmates, and my boss' stepson. None of my relatives have unmarried parents. Because out-of-wedlock birth is pretty uncommon in the circles I frequent, I'm sure it must be the norm in many other communities.
 
That change is so interesting. What caused it?

Marriage is a silly and old fashioned idea. Linking yourselves legally and financially just to be "official" is an idea that many are increasingly viewing as unnecessary. The whole religious side of things is dying as well, of which marriage is a huge element.
 
The frustrating thing is that people don't even stop for a moment to consider that this tradition is an artifact of the patriarchy. Just look at how so many posters in this very thread were dismissive if not hostile of hyphenated names. While hyphenated names are an admittedly inelegant solution, it disappoints me that so many people can't even seem to consider why the trend emerged.

Hyphenated names are alright, but I just hope the future generations in that family tree have the good sense to cut that shit down. I don't want to deal with some dude one day with 15 last names. (I know I won't be alive then but you get my point)
 
In Mexico (and other Latin-American countries), Kids take both the first last name from their parents.

So Mary, the daughter of John Doe and Lucy Lawless would be Mary Doe Lawless.
And then, if she had a son with James Jameson, their son would be Jack Jameson Doe.

And so on.

The problem with this system is that the Second last name gets "lost" with every subsequent generation. I mean, the "Lawless" part of Lucy Lawless gets completely lost with Mary's daughter.
 
my wife and i are lazy and never figured out how name changes work in NL after marriage so we didnt do it. our daughter is about to be born and she will get my last name.
 
Both my future wife and future children will take my last name. My fiancee tried saying she wanted to keep her last name a few times, but I stopped that. She has since changed her mind and is excited to take my name.
 
"Chalupa Batman" probably.

I have a numeral on my name. It'd be kind of cool to keep the streak going, it's done us right so far.
 
Both my future wife and future children will take my last name. My fiancee tried saying she wanted to keep her last name a few times, but I stopped that. She has since changed her mind and is excited to take my name.

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if the world functioned like the average Neogaf user prefers, it would be just a notch higher than living in a society based on the standards of a tumblr user.

Yeah thank god we have consist rules about naming it'd be a real problem if we ditched patrilineal naming because--

Umm. Hmm.
 
Son gets the mother's family name, daughter gets the father's.

It's only fair.

Also women should keep their last names in marriage. I say that as a man. I would be pissed if I got married and was expected to change my last name.


Yeah, I wonder if a lot of the [male?] posters here tried to see the situation from another perspective; ie, if MEN took their WIVES last names.

Some of the answers here...are icky
 
Whatever you do, don't use double last name. I have people at work with two first and last names. Hate these *%!? because i have to memorize double the amount of names.
 
if the world functioned like the average Neogaf user prefers, it would be just a notch higher than living in a society based on the standards of a tumblr user.

Yeah man, like discussing a subtle element of a patriarchal society that often doesn't get examined is just some grade A SJW PC Tumblr bullshit. /s

I love this idea that GAF is so different from the "real world" when half this thread is full of people overtly reinforcing the status quo of said real world.
 
My dad liked the idea of me having my own legacy so I got a name that isn't connected to my mother's or father's families.
 
Both my future wife and future children will take my last name. My fiancee tried saying she wanted to keep her last name a few times, but I stopped that. She has since changed her mind and is excited to take my name.

WTF.

Do you have any idea how fucked up what you just said sounds?
 
In Portugal the child gets one name from father and another from mother.

OK, so when that kid with two names grows up and marries someone else who also have two names does their children end up with four names? Or what names get cut in the next generation.

I am a scientist so I ask logical questions.
 
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