# Where does hyphenating end? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 3, 2016, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-hyphenating-end/767552 "2016-10-03T05:18:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2016, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-hyphenating-end/767552/1 "2016-10-03T05:18:25Z")
So for people who have decided to hyphenate last names when they get married where does it end? For example if Bob Allen and Sue Baxter get married and they change their names to Baxter-Allen. They then have a child name Mary Baxter-Allen. So Mary grows up and marries Mark Anderson-Lewis and they decide to hyphenate as well. So we have Mary and Mark Baxter-Anderson-Allen-Lewis. This continues for a few generations and people have 20-30 hyphenated last names. So do you drop some of the names? How do you decide what to drop? Birth certificates will have to be continued on the back. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2016, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-hyphenating-end/767552/2 "2016-10-03T05:33:42Z")
The father’s name is kept, the mother’s name dropped in subsequent hyphenations. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2016, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-hyphenating-end/767552/3 "2016-10-03T07:09:18Z")
Unless we’re talking about 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. (Ah c’mon ---- someone had to say it 🙂 ) ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2016, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-hyphenating-end/767552/4 "2016-10-03T07:51:36Z")
If we’re talking about last name conventions as observed in the U.S. (assuming since this tends to be a U.S.-centric messageboard), then Bob Allen and Sue Baxter made a deliberate choice to go against social convention based on what they were most happy with. Mary Baxter-Allen can then grow up and make a deliberate choice based on what makes her most happy. Individuals actively making choices based on their own happiness, all in all I’d say it’s preferable to the common convention of the woman taking the man’s name simply because that’s what you’re “supposed to do”. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2016, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-hyphenating-end/767552/5 "2016-10-03T07:57:00Z")
Meet Leone Sextus Denys Oswolf Fraudatifilius Tollemache-Tollemache de Orellana Plantagenet Tollemache-Tollemache. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2016, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-hyphenating-end/767552/6 "2016-10-03T09:27:09Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > The father’s name is kept, the mother’s name dropped in subsequent hyphenations. The name you _like better_ is kept, the other dropped, in subsequent hyphenations. Or you just do an end run round the whole thing and change your joint surname to Throatwarblermangrove or Hippylovechild ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2016, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-hyphenating-end/767552/7 "2016-10-03T11:32:56Z")
In my marriage the wife hyphenated her surname. We agreed in advance that any offspring produced would have his un-hyphenated name alone. Problem solved even before the actual marriage. Because in the real world adults sit down and discuss things like this, and in any case, when the kids grow up they’ll decide what makes them happy anyway, which may or may not involved keeping part or all of their birth name. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2016, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-hyphenating-end/767552/8 "2016-10-03T11:55:09Z")
We kept our names and hyphenated the kids. We told the kids that once they hit 18 they could do what they wanted with their last names. I’m sure they’ll make whatever decision is best for them. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2016, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-hyphenating-end/767552/9 "2016-10-03T13:15:58Z")
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, that’s my name too Whenever I go out the people always shout there goes Unless we’re talking about 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. La la la la la la la ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2016, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-hyphenating-end/767552/10 "2016-10-03T14:18:56Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > The father’s name is kept, the mother’s name dropped in subsequent hyphenations. Where is this rule from? ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2016, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-hyphenating-end/767552/11 "2016-10-03T15:41:58Z")
Quebec has a law on this (Quebec has a law on everything). When we moved here, it was illegal for a married woman to use her maiden name. Now it is compulsory. If Mlle Tremblay marries M. Choquette, she becomes Mme Tremblay and he remains M. Choquette. (Actually the change from Mlle to Mme is based on age not marital status.) They have a choice of names for their children: Tremblay, Choquette, Tremblay-Choquette, or Choquette-Tremblay. Now Mlle Tremblay-Choquette marries M. Beliveau-Lemaire. They have a choice of four single names or 12 (since order matters) hyphenated names, but may not use more than one hyphen. And when you fill out official forms, they insist on your using the name on your birth certificate (a requirement I have routinely ignored, however, since that is not a name I have ever used).