Girls name, and hyphenated names for kids?

[wolfbane.livejournal.com]

My boyfriend and I decided the other night that if we ever have a girl we are going to name her Rosemary Willow. We're not having kids for years but we always enjoy thinking about things like this. We still haven't agreed on a name for a boy.

Also, when we get married in a couple years I want to keep my last name and add his to mine. I promised my dad I would keep my last name since I'm an only child and the name will "die out" without me. I'm wondering if anyone here has kept a name and taken one. Did you hyphenate it, or come up with some other solution?

What do you do when you have kids and one parent has a hyphenated name? Do the kids get this name or do you just choose one? I know my dad would like it if we gave the kids his last name, but I would also like to use my boyfriend's family name. It just seems kind of long and confusing for kids, though. Advice?

Comments

[sans-patrie.livejournal.com]

I think everyone does it differently. I kept my last name and my first child will have my last name. Potential additional children may or may not have my husband's last name, or at some point he may consider taking my name.

[summer-mommy.livejournal.com]

I had my first daughter when I was 18 and at the time of her birth, I pretty much knew there was no chance her father and I would ever be able to rectify our relationship enough to result in marriage. Turns out I was right. So my daughter's last name was hyphenated, mylastname-hislastname.

I got married last summer (not to my daughter's father), and chose to hyphenate my last name, because I wanted the name connection to my daughter. So I hyphenated, maidenname-husbandslastname. We are expecting our first child together in September, and we will be giving the baby his last name only. Although now that I think about it, I think it would be cool to give the baby my full last name so that s/he has the name connection to my daughter as well, which is something I actually didn't think of until now. So I may have to bring it up to my husband. lol.

[a-tergo-lupi.livejournal.com]

It's up to you, really, but when I see people who give their hyphenated names to their kids, I cringe. Are those kids going to get married and have hyphenated-hyphenated names? Universe forbid.

Some people give some kids mom's name and some kids dad's name. I think that's unnecessarily confusing, but then last names just aren't a big deal to me.

It's common in the South to shift the last to the middle and drop the former middle. I shifted my last name to my middle, but kept my middle, giving me two middles. So now I have a superawesome last name and two distinguished-looking middle initials.

[elodie-louisa.livejournal.com]

I hyphenated my name. My son has his father's last name. I would have liked to use both last names for him, but I thought it was too complicated. I also considered using my last name as his middle name.

[twitchywoman.livejournal.com]

I went to high school with a guy who's last name was hyphenated. His parents kept their last names, not hyphenated.

[morningapproach.livejournal.com]

I am contemplating moving my current last name to a second middle name when we get married next year - so it would be Stefanie Alexandra Helbich Lucier. I won't hyphenate personally. As for your kids, I would give them your last name as a middle name so that the name does live on but the kid can still have your SOs family name.

[pinkmeetsred.livejournal.com]

My husband and I both hyphenated (my last name - his last name). We gave our son his last name. It has worked out well as far as family consistency, however my husband does get a few raised eyebrows at his hyphenated last name. It doesn't bother him one bit.

Oh and I love Rosemary!

[ohhvelocitygirl.livejournal.com]

I'm keeping my name and my kids will have my last name. it's easier that way.

[miss-tee.livejournal.com]

Someone I work with and his wife combined their last names for their children.
He kept his last name "Meade" and she kept her last name "Smith" and the kids have the last name "Meadesmith". But their names go together really well it wouldn't work if you tried to give your kids the last name Thompsonjohnson or something...

[requiem-morrow.livejournal.com]

While Rosemary isn't my style, I have to say good job! Rosemary Willow is gorgeous!

[cairtirnin.livejournal.com]

I simply kept my name as it was when I got married. My baby will have my last name as a second middle and my husband's name as her last name. Hyphenating really wasn't an option as my last name is 8 letters long and my husband's is 10. That would really just be cruel.

[lickystyx.livejournal.com]

My oldest son was born before my s/o and I got together. He has my last name since I've never been married and his father was out of the picture by the time he came along. Then, when I had my second son, I hated the idea of them not sharing a name. I gave my second son both my name and my s/o's with no hyphen, thinking that when he got older, he could choose how he wished to be known. I did the same with both of my girls as well. Since my last name is Bennett, it didn't look odd on his birth certificate and many people thought it was a second middle name I'm sure. But it's obvious with the girls that they have two last names. I won't lie, it does get a bit confusing for people and we do have to explain that the kids have two last names, but really, it's not that big of a deal. Now that my son is eighteen, I've noticed, he often writes his name as Kevin Bennett leaving off the second last name. If that's how he wants it, I'm ok with that. But, I don't know how his father will take that if he wants to make that a permanant thing. He always wanted the kids to have just his last name, but, being me and how unconventional I am... I didn't let him have his way on that point.

[solitudete.livejournal.com]

I love Rosemary Willow, it's lovely. : )

[spaceandclouds.livejournal.com]

I agree! It's beautiful =).

[mossmade.livejournal.com]

I kept my last name.
My husband and I are planning on hyphenating our children's last name.
We hope it will honor both our families since he is the only son and my parents have two daughters.

[laminy.livejournal.com]

I really like Rosemary, which surprises me because I don't really like Rose.

I don't have a hyphenated name, and I don't have kids, so my anecdotes probably don't count, but I just want to say that I knew siblings that had a hyphenated last name, and eventually...they just dropped one. One day they had two names and then the next they only had one. I don't think their parents split or anything; to take your words, they just decided that it was "kind of long and confusing." Too much.

[becomingun.livejournal.com]

My friend's family made gave the children hyphenated names and allowed them to choose if they wanted to keep it or only use one name at their confirmation when they were about 14. Their son chose to change it to only one name because he had a long name already, the daughter kept it hyphenated.

[wolfbane.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :)

[wolfbane.livejournal.com]

Thanks! :)

[wolfbane.livejournal.com]

I feel the same way - I don't love Rose but Rosemary has a completely different vibe.

[wolfbane.livejournal.com]

I like that idea a lot actually. They could always make one of the last names a middle, if they wanted.

[sereneignorance.livejournal.com]

My last name is hyphenated (dad's lastname-mom's last name). I plan on passing down my dad's last name when I have kids.

[falls2climb.livejournal.com]

Now that my son is eighteen, I've noticed, he often writes his name as Kevin Bennett leaving off the second last name.
This is what I was about to post. I'm a high school teacher, and although I have a number of students with hyphenated last names, almost all of them only use their first last name when writing their name on a paper or signing up for something.