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Did you ever wonder about the rules for hyphenated names?
Did you ever wonder about the rules for hyphenated names?
By David McClelland
Well I did and I decided to research the subject. Little did I know just how confusing this subject would be. There are a lot of conflicting rules and customs out there.
First, what are the reasons for creating a hyphenated name? The most common reason seems to be that a woman doesn't want to discard her maiden name upon marriage. Typically, she will create a hyphenated last name with her maiden name first, a hyphen and then her husband's last name. So, when Jane Smith marries John Jones, her married name becomes Jane Smith-Jones. It would be nice if we could just leave it at that.
However, some people think they should link their last names in alpha order. In the above example, Jane Smith would become Jane Jones-Smith. Not everyone capitalizes the first letter of the name before the hyphen. Then, there are those, like Hillary Rodham Clinton, who uses her maiden name before her husband's last name, but doesn't use a hyphen.
Then, there is the question of what the children of John Jones and Jane Smith should have as their last names. Some parents give their children the hyphenated last name while others use only the father's last name as the children's last name.
Then, there are cultures where custom dictates that the husband's family last name comes first, followed by the wife's family last name. In other cultures, the custom is just the opposite and it is the husband's family name that comes last. And, some use hyphens and others don't.
Doctor's offices often have great difficulty verifying insurance coverage for people with hyphenated last names. I was told by one doctor that confusion often exists in order to confirm that a woman with a hyphenated name is covered since there is not a firm rule about the order of the names being followed by everyone.
In summary, whether a woman in America chooses to use her maiden name upon marriage and just how she does that, appears to be a matter of personal choice and we all will just have to live with the result.
By David McClelland
Well I did and I decided to research the subject. Little did I know just how confusing this subject would be. There are a lot of conflicting rules and customs out there.
First, what are the reasons for creating a hyphenated name? The most common reason seems to be that a woman doesn't want to discard her maiden name upon marriage. Typically, she will create a hyphenated last name with her maiden name first, a hyphen and then her husband's last name. So, when Jane Smith marries John Jones, her married name becomes Jane Smith-Jones. It would be nice if we could just leave it at that.
However, some people think they should link their last names in alpha order. In the above example, Jane Smith would become Jane Jones-Smith. Not everyone capitalizes the first letter of the name before the hyphen. Then, there are those, like Hillary Rodham Clinton, who uses her maiden name before her husband's last name, but doesn't use a hyphen.
Then, there is the question of what the children of John Jones and Jane Smith should have as their last names. Some parents give their children the hyphenated last name while others use only the father's last name as the children's last name.
Then, there are cultures where custom dictates that the husband's family last name comes first, followed by the wife's family last name. In other cultures, the custom is just the opposite and it is the husband's family name that comes last. And, some use hyphens and others don't.
Doctor's offices often have great difficulty verifying insurance coverage for people with hyphenated last names. I was told by one doctor that confusion often exists in order to confirm that a woman with a hyphenated name is covered since there is not a firm rule about the order of the names being followed by everyone.
In summary, whether a woman in America chooses to use her maiden name upon marriage and just how she does that, appears to be a matter of personal choice and we all will just have to live with the result.
posted by David McClelland at
3:22 PM
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