Children
Couples who have different surnames make different choices about their children's surname(s). Various alternatives are used, including:
- Most commonly, children are given the surname of one parent, usually the father's.
- Children are given the mother's surname.
- Female children are given the mother's surname, and male children the father's.
- Children are arbitrarily assigned the mother's or father's surname.
- The surname of a neutral third party is assigned to the children.
- Children are given the hyphenated surname consisting of their parents' surnames, in either order.
- Children are given a blended surname, formed from each parent's surname.
- Children can also be given a surname derived from elsewhere in the family tree, such as the maternal or paternal grandmother's maiden name.
- Children are given a surname that reflects a geographical location, such as place of birth.
The hyphenated surname has the advantage of enabling the tracing back of both parental lines. However, it requires the next generation, who have the surnames of all four grandparents, to make a decision about the surname(s) for their own children. One solution somecouples have used when both parents had hyphenated last names is for the mother to contribute her mother's name and the father his father's to form a new hyphenated last name for themselves and their children. In Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries, the children receive the surname of both of their grandfathers in this order: first of their paternal grandfather, second of their maternal grandfather, so that in reality, the surnames do always descend from the men in the family and not from the women.
In the United States, some states or areas have laws that restrict what surname a child may have. For example, Tennessee allows a child to be given a surname that does not include that of the father only upon "the concurrent submission of a sworn application to that effect signed by both parents."
Read more about this topic: Married And Maiden Names, Customs Relating To Maiden Names in Marriages, English-speaking World
Famous quotes containing the word children:
“Adolescence is a time when children are supposed to move away from parents who are holding firm and protective behind them. When the parents disconnect, the children have no base to move away from or return to. They aren’t ready to face the world alone. With divorce, adolescents feel abandoned, and they are outraged at that abandonment. They are angry at both parents for letting them down. Often they feel that their parents broke the rules and so now they can too.”
—Mary Pipher (20th century)
“No parent should strive to be like another; just like our children, each of us is unique. And just as we love each of our children for being a special person, our children learn to love each of us for being a distinct parent and person.”
—Saf Lerman (20th century)
“Somewhere it is written that parents who are critical of other people’s children and publicly admit they can do better are asking for it.”
—Erma Bombeck (20th century)