# What last name did these couples go by when they got married? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 22, 2018, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-last-name-did-these-couples-go-by-when-they-got-married/811009 "2018-03-22T04:22:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Steven\_Estes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Steven\_Estes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steven_Estes)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-last-name-did-these-couples-go-by-when-they-got-married/811009/1 "2018-03-22T04:22:03Z")
What last name did these couples go by when they got married? ``` In the 1970's, there was a fad of giving children both parents' last name. What happened when these kids got married to each other? I.e., When John Flugelhaven-Beelzebub married Barabara Dovetonsil-Crashcourse, did the newly-married couple go by the last name, Flugelhaven-Beelzebub-Dovetonsil-Crashcourse? ``` ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-last-name-did-these-couples-go-by-when-they-got-married/811009/2 "2018-03-22T04:40:05Z")
They picked the last names that suited them best; all four, any two, any one, or - gasp - they kept there own because they rather liked them. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-last-name-did-these-couples-go-by-when-they-got-married/811009/3 "2018-03-22T04:42:58Z")
It wasn’t a fad of the 1970’s. It may have started to be common enough that you noticed it, but it hasn’t decreased any lately. It may be more common lately. There are at least six ways now that people choose last names for children: Father’s surname Mother’s surname Hyphenation, or a double-barrelled surname (without a hyphen) Alternating the two parents’ surnames between siblings Combining the two surnames into a portmanteau or blended surname Making up a completely new surname ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-last-name-did-these-couples-go-by-when-they-got-married/811009/4 "2018-03-22T06:02:09Z")
In English, there is no hard rule whether the name before the hyphen is the father’s or the mother’s. Both occur. Exceptions include Spanish and some related languages/cultures, where the father’s name comes first, so Mariano Rajoy Brey’s mother was surnamed Brey. As for the children of two hyphenated people, the most common is probably to take both grandfathers’ names but there is again no rule. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-last-name-did-these-couples-go-by-when-they-got-married/811009/5 "2018-03-22T08:57:14Z")
My kids have a double-barrelled last name. We put my name first (I’m the father) because we thought it flowed better. Just to get an idea of the range of choices: My wife kept her name, double-barrelled kids Her brother’s wife kept her name, the kids have his name Her sister changed her name, the kids have his name I have a client with a double-barrelled name who just got married, she now goes by a triple-barrelled name. Whatever works! ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-last-name-did-these-couples-go-by-when-they-got-married/811009/6 "2018-03-22T10:18:05Z")
This could create a problem whereby in another couple of generations, credit cards will need to have a fold-out flap to accommodate the name. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-last-name-did-these-couples-go-by-when-they-got-married/811009/7 "2018-03-22T13:08:21Z")
I have a friend with a hyphenated last name. Both of his parents also used the hyphenated form, which (in their case) went mother’s-father’s. Nowadays, he mostly just goes by his father’s last name, because that’s the name he prefers, except in contexts where he interacts with his mother, who’s still alive, because he doesn’t want her to feel slighted by that. He got married a few years ago, and his bride, so far as I know, goes by the same version as him: His father’s, except where his mother is involved, in which case his full hyphenated. ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-last-name-did-these-couples-go-by-when-they-got-married/811009/8 "2018-03-22T13:13:23Z")
just to note, double barreled names have been around for quite some time heres one from 1867!! [Frank Lloyd Wright - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Lloyd_Wright) ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-last-name-did-these-couples-go-by-when-they-got-married/811009/9 "2018-03-22T13:53:54Z")
“Introducing the new Chicago Cubs right fielder … number 34 … John Smith-Jones-Wright-Baxter-Walker-Gore-McDonald-Paterson” … yeesh … the future will be verbose … ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-last-name-did-these-couples-go-by-when-they-got-married/811009/10 "2018-03-22T19:38:06Z")
> [@Sigene](#): > > just to note, double barreled names have been around for quite some time > heres one from 1867!! [Frank Lloyd Wright - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Lloyd_Wright) \<\\> So he had his father’s last name and took a family name as his middle name. Not quite the same as a hyphenated last name…? ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-last-name-did-these-couples-go-by-when-they-got-married/811009/11 "2018-03-22T19:57:23Z")
In the factory where I worked, there were enough periodic layoffs and rehiring to make some folks want to get an advantage by changing surnames. A couple I knew had names that started with B and T. When they got married, they took the hyphen, with the bride’s name first. So, instead of being the Taylors, they became the Bivalve-Taylors. It delayed their layoffs by a couple months. One clever guy even went to court to become Aaron Aaronson. That kept him working nearly a year longer than his old name would have. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-last-name-did-these-couples-go-by-when-they-got-married/811009/12 "2018-03-22T20:19:52Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > In the factory where I worked, there were enough periodic layoffs and rehiring to make some folks want to get an advantage by changing surnames. I’ve never heard of a company doing layoffs alphabetically. Is that really a thing? ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-last-name-did-these-couples-go-by-when-they-got-married/811009/13 "2018-03-22T20:31:24Z")
Well I submit then his mother > **[Anna Lloyd Lloyd-Jones](https://www.geni.com/people/Anna-Lloyd-Jones/6000000003149686384)** > > Genealogy profile for Anna Lloyd Lloyd-Jones ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-last-name-did-these-couples-go-by-when-they-got-married/811009/14 "2018-03-22T20:33:36Z")
> [@Sigene](#): > > just to note, double barreled names have been around for quite some time > heres one from 1867!! [Frank Lloyd Wright - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Lloyd_Wright) That’s the best you could do? > **[Double-barrelled name](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double-barrelled_name)** > > A double-barrelled name is a type of compound surname, typically featuring two words (occasionally more), often joined by a hyphen. Notable people with double-barrelled names include Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Sacha Baron Cohen and JuJu Smith-Schuster. > In the Western tradition of surnames, there are several types of double surname (or double-barrelled surname). If the two names are joined with a hyphen, it may also be called a hyphenated surname. The word "barrel" possibly refers to the barrel ... > [@](#): > > A few British upper-class families have “triple-barrelled” surnames (e.g. Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe; Cave-Browne-Cave; Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound; Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby; Smith-Dorrien-Smith; Vane-Tempest-Stewart). Not all of those with multiple names were of the nobility; landed gentry such as George Henry Lane-Fox Pitt-Rivers consolidated the estates and wealth of several families in their multiple names. These are sometimes created when one spouse has a double-barrelled name and the other has a single surname. Nowadays, such names are almost always abbreviated in everyday use to a single or double-barrelled version. There are even a few “quadruple-barrelled” surnames (e.g. Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis, Hovell-Thurlow-Cumming-Bruce, Montagu-Stuart-Wortley-Mackenzie, Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax, Stirling-Home-Drummond-Moray, and the Danish Krag-Juel-Vind-Frijs family). The surname of the extinct family of the Dukes of Buckingham and Chandos was the quintuple-barrelled Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville. > > Captain Leone Sextus Denys Oswolf Fraudatifilius Tollemache-Tollemache de Orellana Plantagenet Tollemache-Tollemache is sometimes quoted as the man with the most ever “barrels” in his surname (six), but in fact all but the last two of these (Tollemache-Tollemache) were forenames. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-last-name-did-these-couples-go-by-when-they-got-married/811009/15 "2018-03-22T21:49:03Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > I’ve never heard of a company doing layoffs alphabetically. Is that really a thing? The primary filter was seniority, hire date. However, if you hired in with 160 other people, and they only need to lay off half that many, it went alphabetically within that hire day. The layoff number order came from on high, but the remaining workers were offered a lot of overtime during layoffs. The extra pay was enough to justify the name change. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-last-name-did-these-couples-go-by-when-they-got-married/811009/16 "2018-03-23T00:15:19Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > This could create a problem whereby in another couple of generations, credit cards will need to have a fold-out flap to accommodate the name. Or it simply becomes customary to take 1 element of one’s surname from each parent, which Iberian peoples have been doing for centuries. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-last-name-did-these-couples-go-by-when-they-got-married/811009/17 "2018-03-23T02:49:22Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > The primary filter was seniority, hire date. However, if you hired in with 160 other people, and they only need to lay off half that many, it went alphabetically within that hire day. The layoff number order came from on high, but the remaining workers were offered a lot of overtime during layoffs. The extra pay was enough to justify the name change. What an odd way of handling that. I was hired at my company along with about 20 others. We drew numbers to determine ‘seniority.’ ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-last-name-did-these-couples-go-by-when-they-got-married/811009/18 "2018-03-23T04:42:03Z")
John Fitzgerald Kennedy? Taking the mother’s maiden name as a middle name seems to be a not-uncommon thing. At a certain point, enough is enough. My wife took my name because it was simpler and more common than hers rather than retain her maiden name… Some people don’t have a deep and abiding attachment to their maiden / family name. Maybe I’m in a social backwater, but the last time I ran across such a hyphenated name was 20 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-last-name-did-these-couples-go-by-when-they-got-married/811009/19 "2018-03-23T11:11:02Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > What an odd way of handling that. I was hired at my company along with about 20 others. We drew numbers to determine ‘seniority.’ Agreed, I’ve never seen anything like that. Very bizarre. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-last-name-did-these-couples-go-by-when-they-got-married/811009/20 "2018-03-23T12:35:59Z")
> [@](#): > > Why is it that the world never remembered the name of Johann Gambolputty de von Ausfern- schplenden- schlitter- crasscrenbon- fried- digger- dingle- dangle- dongle- dungle- burstein- von- knacker- thrasher- apple- banger- horowitz- ticolensic- grander- knotty- spelltinkle- grandlich- grumblemeyer- spelterwasser- kurstlich- himbleeisen- bahnwagen- gutenabend- bitte- ein- nürnburger- bratwustle- gerspurten- mitz- weimache- luber- hundsfut- gumberaber- shönedanker- kalbsfleisch- mittler- aucher von Hautkopft of Ulm? Regards, Shodan [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-last-name-did-these-couples-go-by-when-they-got-married/811009.md?page=2)