The recent plethora of creating hyphenated/compound surnames makes me wonder how far this tradition might go. Do people like adding extra surnames to be important and give themselves social status? Do parents want their child to be reminded of both of them? If there are no male descendants, will the surname become extinct unless it is automatically added to others’ surnames?
If Linda Kemper marries Tony Rosato, does she decide to add her last name to his and become Linda Kemper-Rosato so she can be equal, or not forget her family history? Or, should Linda and Tony save adding a name for their unborn children? Therefore, if Linda and Tony have a child, Nicholas, does the child become Nicholas Kemper-Rosato?
What if the son, Nicholas Kemper-Rosato, meets Kinsey and they decide to marry? Does Kinsey Worthington-Marshall now become Kinsey Worthington-Marshall-Kemper-Rosato? Would her married name, instead, become Kinsey Kemper-Rosato after she throws out her maiden name to just have the traditional two hyphenated surnames, or does she drop one of each? Which ones would she drop?
What about Nicholas and Kinsey’s child, Natalie? Does Natalie now have two or four surnames? Does she receive one name from each parent’s side, and have a brand new surname, or does she simply take her father’s last name? Is she Natalie Marshall-Rosato or Natalie Kemper-Rosato? Or…. Is she Natalie Worthington-Marshall-Kemper-Rosato? There seem to be no rules.
Personally, I would be confused by all the hyphenated names. I’ve seen people looking for another person, yet the seeking person doesn’t realize the importance of using both names, or remember them. When looking for Susan Brown-Johnson, no one will find Susan under “J.” She’s alphabetized under “B,” not “J” now.
In addition to much mayhem, what happens when divorces are thrown into the surname mix? Should some last names be discarded then, or confusingly changed into another new hyphenated name?
Why not let a newly married female keep her maiden name rather than change her name to her husband’s? Why not let the children use their father’s last name?
I think a kid would rather write a name quickly, like Ginger Allen, rather than the poor, encumbered kid who has to write or sign, Alexis Reavely-Henderson, a zillion times. Heaven Forbid! I could be Cynthia Bachmann-Todd-Beckert-Hartmeyer and that’s without the marriage/divorce crap, or middle names, thrown into the mix! It sounds far less complicated to me to simply be Cindy Hartmeyer.
