The Black Informant | African American Commentary, News and Community Building

I think it symbolizes a tribal link or it can. Also some women see it as giving up their identity and others even add the hyphen for image reasons. I think it shows greater intent to stay with the man and respect for him when she takes his last name but I’m pretty wide open on this scenario. I wouldn’t want my women to feel opressed by having my last name because she is still an individual. Its not two become one its two individuals going after the same purpose

A women should take her husband last name. She giving up her identity. That identity that says she is single. She now “belongs” to her new family.

I would say that a woman should fully take on her husband’s last name. When a man and woman are married the two become one (becoming joined together). Marriage in today’s society is definitely not what it used to be. Many views of how marriage is supposed to be is not much different than if you were living a single life. What is the harm with a woman taking on her husband’s surname? Will it cause people to not recognize her? Will her salary be affected, will her friends & family lose contact with her? Is she so successful that by taking on her husband’s name – it will cause her career to tumble? If a woman is more concerned about her career and/or keeping her last name than being a loving, supportive wife – then maybe she should rethink getting married.

Wow. No one is suggesting that the man should take on the woman’s name when they get married?

I changed my name when I was first married. Sadly, that marriage did not last. Deciding that I did not wish to retain the name of a husband I no longer had, I went back to my maiden name.

When I married a second time, I did not change my name primarily because it is one royal pain in the rear end to do so – particularly when you are established in business, have many contacts, have tons of accounts and so forth that you must change, etc.

Plus – do you think that the fact that my name would then be “Peggy Hitt Carr” had anything to do with it? LOL!

It could have been Carr Hitt Peggy

Bad enough as it was, Duane!