Both last names for the baby

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-19-2004
Both last names for the baby
6
Tue, 10-19-2004 - 3:12pm
Hi,

Has anyone given both last names to their baby (of the mother and the father)? I am married and I have kept my maiden name. I am 10 weeks pregnant and I would like our baby to have both last names. Is it legal? Should the names be hyphenated?

Aga
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-04-2003
Tue, 10-19-2004 - 3:24pm

It is legal and hyphenation sometimes works. It's largely based on how long both surnames are.
In most states in the US a child can be given the mother's surname, the father's surname or a third, completely unrelated surname.. it varies a bit by state, so you might want to check your states website for guidelines.
If your surnames are something like Smith & Black (for example) baby A.B. Smith-Black ( or Black-Smith) works well. If one's short & one's long, it still works (ex: Smith & Millburn) Baby A.B. Millburn-Smith or A. B. Smith-Millburn) If, however both surnames are long.. it stars to get unwieldy.. ex.: Millburn & Gladstone.. Baby A.B. Millburn-Gladstone(or A.B. Gladstone-Millburn!)
I'd keep both first & middle names relatively short, one or two syllable names unless both surnames are short!

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-28-2003
Tue, 10-19-2004 - 10:15pm
I have a good friend who has done this. Of course both last names are only 1 syllable so it isn't too unweildy. She has her last name fist, then her DH's. So she is Jane Doe, he is JOhn Smith and their kids are x Doe-Smith. Good luck, it takes some explaing at first.
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-01-2003
Wed, 10-20-2004 - 8:53am
I work at a school where a few kids have two last names. It's a hassle for them and, I feel, unnecessary. What about using your last name as a middle name only?
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-25-2004
Tue, 10-26-2004 - 10:02am
or using HIS last name as a middle name? (How come no one ever considers that? ;)

I think children with 2 last names is getting very common, so your child won't be alone. I plan on doing the same thing...

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-25-2004
Tue, 10-26-2004 - 10:40am
also, remember that the custom of giving both parents' last names to the child is very common in many other cultures/countries outside US.
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-01-2003
Wed, 10-27-2004 - 12:25am
I tend to agree that using both LNs seems like an unnecessary hassle for the kids. A lot of people are, unfortunately, nosy and closed-minded, and that's where problems occur. I know a family who have 3 children with hyphenated last names, and it's for the same reason as the OP, their mother kept her maiden name "Jones" and their father is "Smith" so the children are Jones-Smith. The issues that they have encountered are mostly with people assuming they have some sort of unusual familial arrangement/adoptions/etc. A lot of people are very nosy and ask the kids tons of questions about their hyphenated LNs. I wouldn't do that to a kid. But that's JMHO!

Now that I think of it, I also know a woman whose maiden name was "Smith" and then she married a guy whose last name was "Fox-Lewis" so when she married she really would have preferred he had ONE Last name, so she could have hyphenated her name, "Smith-Fox" or "Smith-Lewis" but instead she took on both of her new husband's last names which caused even MORE confusion for her at work.