I was listening to CBC radio yesterday morning while doing the breakfast thing. On the Sunday Edition, there was a conversation about women's names. About taking husbands names, or keeping maiden names. That there has been a large return in the USA to women taking their husbands names at marriage. Something like 90% of women marrying recently will take their husband's name.
I took my husband's name. I liked my maiden name, it was easy to spell, easy to say, and neither too common or unusual. I used it for work purposes, it was part of my identity. I also had no issue with taking Rob's last name. Equally easy to say and spell, if with one more syllable than my maiden name. If our last names together didn't sound so silly, I may have hyphenated, maybe not. I mainly took his name, not just out of tradition, but because I wanted it to be easy for identification of the relationship between us and our future (at that point) children. For us all to have a common last name.
There are women out there who believe that taking your husband's last name is a slap in the face to feminism, yadda, yadda. That women need to step out of the system that keeps them labeled at their husband's property.
I don't buy that. After all, isn't our "unmarried name" just showing that we belong to our father? I smell a bit of irony.
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I couldn't wait to take Paul's name - very easy to spell and pronounce. My maiden name was hard to pronounce and even harder for people to try to spell. I am proud of my maiden name but was even prouder the day I took Paul's last name.
My maiden name is french, difficult to pronounce and spell. But part of my heritage, so I was always proud of it... I took my xh's name when I got married, and kept it after we divorced because it's also my son's last name. I am getting remarried, and plan on hyphenating my current last name with my dh's last name... that way I am joining my son and husband together in my life... I think it's very symbolic of this new chapter of my life. Fortunately both are easy to spell, short names and sound fine together. :D
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