Why cant a Daughter carry on the family name?

Question

Why cant a Daughter carry on the family name?

Answer 1

She can.  Some married women used their maiden names for professional reasons.  Furthermore, because the first Duke of Marlborough, John Churchill, had no surviving sons, he passed his title along with his last name to his eldest daughter, Lady Anne Churchill, although it took an Act of the English Parliament to do this.  Lady Anne married Charles Spencer, the 3rd Earl of Sutherland, whereupon their descendants, most notably Winston Spencer Churchill, took the double-barrel name Spencer Churchill.  Similarly, the descendants of Queen Elizabeth II will be styled at Mountbatten Windsors.

Answer 2

A daughter can carry on the family name - and more and more daughters are doing it. When  she marries, she can keep her own name. However, her children have to be registered under the names of both parents, so you would have Mary Jones and Sam Smith marrying and begetting a daughter, Samantha Smith-Jones. If she married a guy who also had a double barrelled name, their child could end up being Wilson Mitchell-Czanskowsky-Smith-Jones, and if he married someone with a quadruple barrelled name --- well, you can see the problems that would lead to.

I rather like the old Scandanavian system of boys and girls carrying their parents' first names. For example, if Ron Johnson has a son, his name would be William Ronson. And his son would be Jeffrey Williamson. Girls took their mothers names - Gerta Martasdotter's daughter would be Olga Gertasdotter. etc. Of course, that didn't tell you who was married to whom, but if you needed to know, you could simply ask them. And if you were just being nosy, too bad for you!

Answer 3

Traditionally she doesn't.  But in times past before surnames were stable, it wasn't nothing unusual if there was not a male heir to pass the family lands and title to, often times a man would take on the name of his wife's family.

For instance, the Borghese noble house.  The title of prince goes to all the males but the male line of the Aldobrandini ran out and one of the Borghese princes married an Aldobrandi and took the name of Aldobrandi.  So today the Prince Aldobrandini is in the same direct male line as the Prince Borghese.

Also you have to understand for children to have the father's name has in the past denoted legitimacy.

Answer 4

Why not, I have done, and then when we married it became a double -barrel name, and my three sisters did the same when they married.

Answer 5

i did when i married i was mrs mills hodgins

Answer 6

She can.

Answer 7

she can and then name her daughter with her last name also.  there is no law that says you have to use the fathers last name. my daughter has my birth last name. we are the end of the line for our tree. So she will have to do the same or this will be the end of our last name for our tree.

Answer 8

ask her :]

Answer 9

My daughter is quite resolute about keeping her surname if she gets married. I'm not sure how it will work out if she has kids, but god help her husband if he tries to change her mind, she's a feisty little bugger!

Answer 10

The only reason is societal archaism

Answer 11

she can! she just has to choose not to take the husbands name. this is a new tradition since the old one states (going back hundreds of years) that women take their husbands names. girls are breaking tradition now and taking their names, THUS carrying on the family name.

Answer 12

Every society has its normal "patterns" or accepted traditions. For Western cultures, this has included that the wife becomes known by her husband's name (as in becoming part of his family, such as in the Bible) .. and children take the name of the father, for identity reasoning.  Surnames are mainly an identity thing anyway.. they have NOT always existed.  Nor is it true in all parts of the world that the family pattern is paternal.  Some cultures do this with the family of the mother.

Even though this is the way it is "usually" done, it is not required by law.  A woman can keep her maiden name after marriage, and actually can give her children that name. I have even heard of some rare husbands making the choice of taking the name of the wife!

So the answer is that she really can, if it matters that much to her.  I love my family, but I am content with the usual.

Answer 13

She can all she has to do is not take the name of her husband or father of her kids.