ntt@dciem.UUCP (Mark Brader) (09/27/83)
As you may guess if you read my item on money, I think married people should share the same surname. But not necessarily any particular surname. I think people should be free to choose an ALTOGETHER NEW SURNAME on marriage. Of course, this could be the same as the husband's existing surname, or a hyphenated form, and for some people nothing else would do. Fine for them. I think one result of this would be the appearance of some new and interesting names, which would help cut the number of duplicated surnames now clogging the phone books! (I'm reminded of the Canadian journalist and politician who was born Bill Smith and changed his name to Amor de Cosmos, because his mail was always getting lost. He later became the Premier* of the Province of British Columbia. (His dates are 1825-1897 and he changed names in 1854 when he was seeking gold in California.)) When my then-future wife and I discussed surnames, we were fortunate to agree: we followed the least inconvenient option and she took my surname. I offered to take hers instead if she really wanted, but I'm glad she didn't. (A famous instance of this, by the way, is provided by Joliot, who married Irene Curie, daughter of Pierre and Marie. Actually, he used the hyphenated form Joliot-Curie, but in those days that was daring enough, and he did put Curie last.) Mark Brader, NTT Systems Inc. *Head of the governing party and therefore of the government. Same as Prime Minister except that the latter term is usually reserved for federal gov't.
ariels@tekecs.UUCP (Ariel Shattan) (09/29/83)
In Spain, when two members of the aristocracy married, their children had a name that was a combination of both the parents surnames; with the mother's name last. For example: Juan Ortega marries Maria Garcia; their children Carlos and Juanita are Carlos Ortega y Garcia and Juanita Ortega y Garcia. When these children grow and are married, (say Carlos marries Lucinda Moreno y Valdez), they use (I think) the final name (i.e., their mother's) as the one that combines, as opposed to all four "y"'s, but I think that the rest of the names are shoved in there somehow, too. Carlos' and Lucinda's son Esteban's name would be something like: Esteban Moreno Ortega Garcia y Valdez. This does lead to quite a few names in only a few generations, but the aristocratic Spaniards were big on long, fancy names, anyway. BTW, "y" means "and" Ariel Shattan