what's in a last name??

[babydoodle]

Will your baby have his last name, yours, or a combination of both last names and why??

 

[Rscha]

My thoughts despite disagreeing with a patriarchal society and by no means do I mean to minimize the issues that we're still facing by going along with "what has always been"...

I took my husband's last name when we got married so the baby will have our last name.

If I wasn't married or kept my maiden name, it would probably still be his last name so the baby didn't have a ridiculously, long last name. It would be 18 letters long without the hyphen!

If the father wasn't planning on being in the picture, then I'd give the kid my maiden name which would have been my current name.

 

[xprincessx]

Callum had both our surnames hyphenated but I couldn't stand it any longer and I changed it by deed poll to just OH's a year ago. I hate my surname (so much so I changed it to my OH's earlier this year too!) and felt pressured into using it by my parents at the time. Glad I changed it now and if I could go back in time I never would have used mine.

 

[Button#]

I kept my name when I got married. We use OHs surname for LO and my surname as a second middle name, same for number 2.

 

[Fezzle]

Same as button. My OH and I aren't married so the baby will have his surname with mine as a second middle name.

 

[emyandpotato]

It was just a vanity thing for me. I have always hated my surname and it wouldn't have sounded good with Rory's name, so we both took OH's. If his name had been awful I would have kept my own.

 

[KylasBaby]

Baby will have my last name until we get married then I will change it as we will both take OHs last name.

 

[JumpingIn]

Our baby will have my partner's surname because his family are my true family too and will be the only ones who are truly involved. My own family is a complicated mess and my surname means nothing to me as it is my father's, who hasn't been in my life since I was 7.

However, I haven't taken my partner and the baby's surname yet as it doesn't work well with my first!

 

[HappyAnjeL]

LO has OH's surname. We weren't married but engaged when we had her and I planned on taking his name (and did) anyway.

 

[staralfur]

My LO has DH's last name. I still have my maiden name. My DH has such a simple, common last name that I know my LO will never get teased for it. I used to get teased for mine all the time when I was little (though I like it now).

 

[mod19]

My sister hyphenated my nephews name as she hyphenatrd her own and she hated it so much that she changed it. Plus, it was ridiculously long in that he had two middle names, so his name was:

Derek Thomas James Carxxxxx-Berxxxxxx

No thanks. I took dhs name, but I did like my maiden name. This baby will have our last name.

 

[MrsT3813]

I think names can be very connecting, and I would hate for all of us (DH, kids and me) to have different last names. So I took DH's last name, and our future kids will have his name. I'm not fond of hyphenated names. As someone who used to work in academics, the hyphenated names never fit on the forms or in the electronic systems. Kids hate it when their name is "wrong" on certificates and forms, so I know a handful that are determined to drop one of the last names, or just completely change their name when they marry.

But some people are really connected to their original names, so to each their own!!

 

[mowat]

DH and I are married but we both kept our last names. We decided to name our first child with my last name and the next one would have his. Great idea, except I'm now pregnant with twins. Any ideas? The first born will get him last name, but what about the next one? Should the twins have the same last names? But what about our DS? I feel like he'll feel left out if they both have a different name from him.

 

[Fezzle]

Wow- that's a hard situation! Have you thought about creating a new family name? I have friends who did that but I can understand why it wouldn't be a good decision for everyone!

 

[Selaphyna]

DS1 has his father's last name. Originally it was because at the time I thought his father and I would get married, and I wanted us all to have same last names. Now, even though he and I aren't together anymore, I'm still glad I gave him his father's last name. I had nicknames growing up because of my last name. It's not horrible, or horrible nicknames, it was annoying. My last name is also the name of a very popular candy, so yeah.

DS2 has DF's last name. We have been together longer than my ex and I were, especially at the time of conception and birth, so I don't see us not getting married. I plan on taking DF's last name when I get married too.

 

[sherwood]

...

 

[cherrylips100]

My children and I both have DHs name. I dithered for a long time about what name I'd take but it meant more to him than it did to me so I took his.

 

[Kirsty3051]

Baby will have our surname. X

 

[staralfur]

Wow- that's a hard situation! Have you thought about creating a new family name? I have friends who did that but I can understand why it wouldn't be a good decision for everyone!

My cousins did this, I thought it was pretty cool!

 

[babydoodle]

DH and I are married but we both kept our last names. We decided to name our first child with my last name and the next one would have his. Great idea, except I'm now pregnant with twins. Any ideas? The first born will get him last name, but what about the next one? Should the twins have the same last names? But what about our DS? I feel like he'll feel left out if they both have a different name from him.

Eek.... That's a hard situation. .. maybe you could give the twins his last name and then add his last name to yours and your firstborn. . That way everyone would be connected by his name. ..AND yours would still carry on with your first born.