Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!snorkelwacker!bloom-beacon!ora!ora!daemon
From: aalanm@phoenix.princeton.edu (A Alan Middleton)
Newsgroups: soc.feminism
Subject: Re:  name change
Message-ID: <2087@idunno.Princeton.EDU>
Date: 26 Aug 90 23:53:13 GMT
References: <81909@aerospace.AERO.ORG>
Sender: ambar@ora.com (Jean Marie Diaz)
Organization: Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey
Lines: 20
Approved: ambar@ora.com

In article <81909@aerospace.AERO.ORG> gregg@zimmer.CSUFresno.EDU (Greg Gaither) writes:
>We did give our daughter my last name.  This never really even became a
>point of discussion--it was simply something we did.  Most of the people
>I know who have separate last names have done the same.  Not that it's
>bad or good; it just seems to be the case in my experience.
>Hyphenations will never solve this problem in the long run.  Any ideas
>on a solution that might?

My two cents on the whole situation: I haven't been married, but have
thought about names -- hyphenation is clumsy: the only other symmetrical
thing to do is to use chance - either (1) flip a coin at the marriage
ceremony or whatever to see who gets to keep their name, or (2) keep
original last names and flip for the first kid's last name, then
alternate.  I prefer (2).  I think the idea (brought up by others)
of naming the sons after the father and the daughters after the mother
(or vice versa) is scary. [n.b. other symmetrical solution
is to only allow people with same last name to marry or have children -
would be tough on, for example, last name of 'Kvale'].

  A. Alan M.