# The Brothers \ **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 9, 2016, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-brothers-surname/748445 "2016-03-09T18:36:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-brothers-surname/748445/21 "2016-03-10T23:18:45Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > But the Bee Gees did (but the “s” went rogue). Myth. The Bee Gees were so named because of singer Barry Gibb and two other guys who were originally associated with the group, a DJ named Bill Gates and a promoter named Bill Goode. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-brothers-surname/748445/22 "2016-03-11T00:47:16Z")
I always assumed it was a Latin grammar thing (e.g., The House Beautiful, etc.) ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-brothers-surname/748445/23 "2016-03-11T01:36:26Z")
I don’t buy the misogyny approach as the reason I think it is . Maybe the reverse-syntax caché plus the overrepresentation of men made it more common. Also, it’s almost always an artistic name, nobody says “the brothers Smith” when introducing a family. In Spanish, the reverse syntax is not possible, but it’s the same for masculine and feminine. _Las hermanas García_, but NEVER _las García hermanas_; it doesn’t work even poetically. ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-brothers-surname/748445/24 "2016-03-11T01:48:44Z")
Not misogyny, exactly, but a simple inability to imagine a world in which women were independent in business and public life, apart from their male relatives. Not quite on point, but I remember in an old etiquette book that you could send an invitation to “the Misses Smith” if you were inviting all of them, and to be aware that “Miss Smith” would refer to the eldest unmarried Miss Smith. If you meant your lovelorn missive to go to another, it should be addressed to Miss \ Smith ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-brothers-surname/748445/25 "2016-03-11T02:59:12Z")
> [@Cub\_Mistress](#): > > Not misogyny, exactly, but a simple inability to imagine a world in which women were independent in business and public life, apart from their male relatives. > > Not quite on point, but I remember in an old etiquette book that you could send an invitation to “the Misses Smith” if you were inviting all of them, and to be aware that “Miss Smith” would refer to the eldest unmarried Miss Smith. If you meant your lovelorn missive to go to another, it should be addressed to Miss \ Smith Here in Peru (and I imagine in most places) the traditional way of addressing a wedding invitation is Sr. Juan Pérez y Sra. (Mr. Juan Pérez and Mrs.) even if you only know the wife. When I got married, I addressed my invitations to married female friends (unless the husband was also my friend) as Sra. María García y esposo (Mrs. María García and husband). My idea was “I don’t care if you bring your husband, you’re my friend, and it’s you I want to see”. a few husbands were offended, but all the women loved it. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-brothers-surname/748445/26 "2016-03-11T11:57:14Z")
“The Sisters _X_” doesn’t seem to be so unusual in modern writing. Some examples, many from very mainstream sources: [ul] [li][“The sisters Kardashian”](http://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/news/a31289/kardashians-embarrassing-moments/) (from _Elle_)[/li][li][“The sisters Olsen”](http://www.marieclaire.com/fashion/news/a6334/dressed-to-thrill-olsen-trifecta/) (from _Marie Claire_)[/li][li][“The sisters Simpson”](http://articles.latimes.com/2004/aug/26/news/wk-albums26) (from the _Los Angeles Times_)[/li][li][“The sisters Duff”](http://www.mtv.com/news/1503671/duff-sisters-living-large-in-material-world/) (from MTV)[/li][li][“The sisters Bush”](http://celebrator.com/columns/hopvine/0108.html) (from _Celebrator_)[/li][li][“The sisters Fanning”](http://fashionista.com/2011/11/would-you-rather-elle-fanning-vs-dakota-fanning-as-terry-richardson) (from _Fashionista_)[/li][li][“The sisters Williams”](http://www.themalaymailonline.com/sports/article/for-the-williams-sisters-an-extraordinary-performance-to-reach-an-even-rare) (from _Malay Mail_)[/li][li][“The sisters Spears”](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alec-sokolow/the-sisters-spears_b_161830.html) (from _Huffington Post_)[/li][li][“The sisters Hilton”](https://vegasseven.com/2011/06/16/sisters-hilton-have-home/) (from _Vegas Seven_)[/li][li]A different set of [“sisters Hilton”](http://www.charlottemagazine.com/Charlotte-Magazine/July-2008/A-Tale-of-Two-Sisters/) (from _Charlotte Magazine_)[/li][li][“The sisters Mara” (also Richardson, Mills, Cartwright, Wood, Arquette, and de Haviland)](http://thefilmexperience.net/blog/2013/12/18/top-ten-the-best-sister-acts-in-hollywood-history.html) (from _The Film Experience_)[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-brothers-surname/748445/27 "2016-03-11T13:00:30Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Historically men have been more important than women. They did things. Women sat home. Bias toward men and against women is baked deep into our culture. It’s so deep that it’s often invisible until one trips over an unremarked aspect. People Back Home tend to exclaim “oh, the Navabros’ sister!” when they finally “place me”. I always point out that one, I do share my brothers’ lastname and two, as I’m the eldest it’s them who are my brothers thank you. It’s understandable when whomever has just gone :smack: knows them better, but sometimes it’s been done by someone who’d actually known me longer! ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-brothers-surname/748445/28 "2016-03-11T16:11:22Z")
And there’s the Smith Brothers, as in cough drops, Trade and Mark. : D [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-brothers-surname/748445.md?page=1)