SURVEY: WOMEN DON'T NEED TO TAKE THEIR HUSBANDS' LAST NAME

YOUGOV ^ | 10/21/2014 | by Peter Moore

[SeekAndFind]

Most people believe that it is up to the woman getting married whether she takes her husband's last name or not - but that kids should generally get their father's name

The wedding of Amal Alamuddin to George Clooney in Venice has been one of the most talked about events of 2014. Amal, who is a prominent human rights lawyer in the UK, caused a certain amount of controversy due to her decision to take Clooney's last name as her own. Furthermore, unlike many women with professional careers, she will also professionally be known as 'Amal Clooney' instead of 'Amal Alamuddin'. 

Research conducted by YouGov shows that most Americans don't think that women should feel they need to take their husband's last name. Overall, most Americans (57%) think that a woman should take whichever name she wants after she gets married, while 31% think that she should take her husband's last name. 6% think that hyphenation is the way to go, while 3% think women ought to keep their own names. Opinions on whether or not a woman should take her husband's last name are fairly consistent regardless of demographic grouping. 

There is variation along party lines. Only 18% of Democrats say that women should take their husband's last names, while 65% think that she should do whatever she wants and 15% support either hyphenation or her keeping the original name. Among Republican voters, however, support for saying that women should take their husband's last names is far higher. 47% of Republicans think that a newly married woman should change her name to her husband's, the exact same percentage who say that a woman should take whichever name she wants (47%). 

[GraceG]

My Brother wife’s mom and dad were only able to have one kid, My Brother’s Wife. They had their first kid which was a girl, and the wife had difficulty so they couldn’t have another kid, the dad was the only son of that family as well, so the family name would have died off.

But their family name now lives on in my neices and nephew.

Or were you saying that you don’t agree with how my brother and sister in law named their children?

[shadeaud]

So, when two homosexuals get married, does one take the others name? How about lesbians? Transexuals, Intersexual, etc

[al baby]

Yeah lets see her run as Hillary Rodham !!!!

Bill Blythe went with Clinton bunch phony phucks

[forgotten man]

In Latin America would use her father’s last name regardless of her marital status.

Please don’t ask me the rules regarding multiple last names for black NFL players. I think they use the last name of their mother connected with a hyphen to the last name of their welfare case worker.

[Christie at the beach]

Fellows, don’t marry women like this.

You are asking for heartaches or headaches.

[vetvetdoug]

My first wife hyphenated her name after marriage. She was unfaithful, deceitful, and embezzled a lot of money before she left after ten years of marriage. My late second wife took my name happily and was a great woman. I don’t trust women with hyphenated names.

[chris37]

Not a problem, don’t need to marry them either.

[Jim from C-Town]

I know a woman who's husband took her name when they got married.

His name was Fink and he always hated it, so when he had the opportunity to change it to his wife's last name, he did.

[OldMissileer]

I would not have married a woman who would not take my last name.

Same here.

[GingisK]

If she insists on making a political statement with her name, odds are she is liberal in other areas of life as well.

That is something that clearly surfaces long before any talk of marriage. Usually. In my day and age.

[jocon307]

Yep. And I say that as a woman who kept her own name.

[jocon307]

These “feminists” are really a bunch of liars.

It’s all CHOICE CHOICE CHOICE until you make a choice they don’t like.

[Kackikat]

Why would authors be in this conversation at all? The ‘pen name’ authors use is for security. To protect their family from crazed fans or idiots who just have to make contact. The dangers of today make any public person wise to work under a pseudonym.

[Caipirabob]

Lol...as if I’d bother at that point.

[toothfairy86]

At our dental office, we see many patients who are immigrants. Mostly hospital and university employees. The Chinese women generally keep their maiden name, but the children keep the father’s name. I’ve seen other people whose children’s last names were variations of the mother’s last name, but with a suffix. Usually, the female professors and doctors either hyphenate or use the maiden name. I’m sure all this is very confusing to the IRS.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

If I’d been born into a family with a terrible name like:

Butt
Gay
Etc

I would take my wife’s name to save our children from a lifetime of anguish.

I once knew a couple who did change their name fro Poor to Rich.

[SoConPubbie]

I would not have married a woman who would not take my last name.

It's especially bad when the Man takes part of the wife's name as his.

That kind of man is lacking in the Testosterone department.

[SeekAndFind]

RE: If I’d been born into a family with a terrible name like:

Butt
Gay
Etc

I would take my wife’s name to save our children from a lifetime of anguish.
______________________

Singer Marvin Gaye seems to have escaped that stigma.

And then, we have famous folks like Meteorologist, Joe Bastardi and Senator Mike Crapo who are proud of their last names.

RE: I once knew a couple who did change their name fro Poor to Rich.

Did that do anything for their finances? :)

[oblomov]

My wife hyphenates her name with mine (legally).

She is a staunch conservative and cannot stand feminists.

[conservcalgal]

what happens when we get 2 or more generations? smith-jones then smith-jones-brown, smith-jones-brown-white, etc., etc.