Would your husband use your last name?

I think the issue with combined names is that you lose a lot of history--what happens several generations down, when someone wants to trace their ancestry only to hit a dead end when look for a Mayerston when they should be looking for an Aniston and a Mayer.

wow how ridiculous and sexist!

Anyone should be able to take anyone's name. We live in a capitalist country, if you can pay for it, you can do it.

I sure would be Mr. Jolie.... oh wait this was a generalization? Man that poster got me all excited...

I think we live in an era where tradition is completely ignored by the mainstream anymore. This is not a bad thing, this is how we evolve socially and intellectually.

Since marriage in many countries is more of a legal agreement than a religious one, (i.e For the joinning of property and ownership rights etc etc..)
Its perfectly fine for couples to not change names or the man to change to the woman's either or.

Old standards are just that, Old, and for the most part ridiculously unnecessary.

I think marriage is over rated anyway. Tax breaks aside..

Binarysunset he COULD have paid to change his name, they were objecting to the fact that when women take their husband's name there is no fee.

Just goes to show that there are double standards on both sexes since it's obvious discrimination that men have to pay more than women.

One of my best friend's sister hand her husband take her name. Wasn't such a big deal in Pennsylvania.

When I get married, I may just change my entire name to Darth Vader.

How does the soon to be Mrs Vader feel about this?

If you can legally change your name to a "stage" name, what's the big deal about taking your spouse's name?

Personally, I was 35 when I got married and had built an entire career and repuatation on my name... why would I sabotage myself by changing my name?

I'm not sure I'd be down with a woman who wouldn't take my last name. While I agree that every person has a fundamental right to 'identify themselves as they please', making a political point at the expense of marital tradition seems misdirected.

I'm sure we can identify several practices grounded in sexist, racist and classist presuppositions but have since lost their racist and sexist bite. Why call anybody Mr. or Mrs. at all, doesnt this imply a caste system or at least have its history in class based society? And on and on.

If my wife seriously told me that she didnt want to take my last name, I would reply "Seriously? You want to make a political point about 'women as property' in the context of our marriage?

I think it's about the issue of equality. The system had simple mechanisms in place for women to adopt their partner's names, but not vice versa, which is unacceptable in this day and age.

Not taking your husband's last name isn't always a political statement. What if you already have an established career under your name? Do you really want to risk losing everything you've built up because Jane Doe has built up a great reputation, but nobody knows Jane Smith--and nobody realizes that she used to be Jane Doe?

That was the position I was in as a writer with a pen name. Still, as a feminist, I also recognized the system was very out-dated and was not something I wanted to participate in or perpetuate in any way.

Labels are useless to the blind.

Exactly, what's in a name....but if there's a principle to be fought over. Also, it's a question of what marriage is about. Is it a joining of two equals, or the domination of one person over another?

'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
And for that name which is no part of thee
Take all myself.'
From Romeo and Juliet.

So, in the spirit of that I took my husband's name because I love him and wanted to. Had I decided not to he would have loved me anyway. Which is why I love him.;-). It isn't the name that makes you, it is who you are. Sounds sappy, but it's true.

Well said. I guess part of who I am, is a person who staunchly stands up for principles, which is one of the reasons my husband loves me. I have to give him credit where credit is due, he's been very understanding about me not taking his name (even though I know he'd like me to).

wow...that sux

Hmm... I think that it would be cooler if me and my wife were to come up with our own entirely new name. You know, I think I'll run it by her when the time comes...

I did not think there would be such a problem if my male spouse is to take on my last name. I could recall myself telling everyone that I am not giving up my last name, because, one, I love it. two, I want to keep my family name going. three, the thought of "i have to" take on my husband's last name and our children has to have my husband's last name angers me, and why can I have the choice or my husband and i have the choice of whose name should go on.....

standards need to change!

If Ben Bateman marries Jessie Johnson, perhaps their last name should just be Bateman-Johnson.

Or perhaps people should just be able to do whatever the hell they want.

I think doing "whatever the hell they want" is the right the Bijan's and the ACLU won for us all...

Hey, even if you want to officially be nammed Ima Weiner...It shouldn't matter. In a country where freedom of speech is so important, and it's legal to call people whatever you want...Shouldn't you also be able to call yourself anything you want?

when i get married, i want my husband and i to BOTH change our last names and create a NEW and IMPROVED last name.

I think those whom belong to the Cherokee tribe (or some native american) get the womans last name.

I can see the argument. I think the tradition of changing Ms. to Mrs. is to show that she's married and off limits. It's a possesive type thing.

Leeza. . . that's not such a bad idea. . .

Leeza it's your birthday. Happy birthday Leeza.

sorry, had to do it.

YES!!!! MY HUSBAND CAN BE A THE BRUCE TOO!!! IT'S TIME TO REDD THE THRAPPLE THEN AND GET ALL SCOTTISH ON YOUR BUMS!
I like the idea of keeping last names traditional. It's nice. But my mom's real Finnish last name was changed in her grandparent's time to a Jewish one at Ellis island. This was true of a great number of Finns since no one could pronounce their names, I suppose. That's bad for tracking. And my husband's last name wasn't his birth name either. I think this is GRRRREAT!