Un-Married Parents - Whose Surname Does Your Child Have and Why?

AmyTurtle

My OH and I are trying for a baby and that baby will have it's dad's surname. We plan to marry eventually. I'm not a fan of hyphenated surnames and we couldn't anyway as they sound ridiculous together!!

My parents are divorced and I'm glad I have my dad's surname as my mum has been married and divorced 4 more times since then - we joke she changes her name like other people change their underwear!

janninew

The double barrel surnames always make me think of a scene from a film (can't remember it's name!) where the parents are going to double barrel and somebody commented that it made the little boy sound like a law firm! It actually did with the names they chose.

Double barrelling is getting more common, I work in a secondary school and the double barrel names causes so many errors on our system!

I did things the old fashioned way, got married then had a child.

meritaten

my GS has his original surname 'Smith-Jones' plus he can legally use his stepfathers surname as he changed his name by deed poll to 'David Allen Smith-Jones Brown' . that way he kept his biological fathers name, plus since his mum married his stepdad, his name is the same as his mums and half sister. (obviously this isn't his real name before someone points out I shouldn't name people on forum)

Buzzybee90

I don't know to be honest, I'd never have a child before marriage. I'd find it odd giving them the married name before married, if for example you planned to double barrel when married.

Beckyy

It would be interesting to see a poll on this thread so you can see the answers more easily.

mrsHall2b

DD1 has my surname as i left my ex when i was 5months pregnant.
DD2 has her dads surname as i am with him and hopefully will get married to him one day.

i do feel sad that DD1 will have a different surname to everyone but if she wishes to change it to her dads or my partners when shes older that is her choice.

PenguinJim

Doesn't anybody combine names? The example I can't forget is Miss Pugh and Mr Griffin, who married and became Mrs and Mr Puffin. Forging their own name together that their kids would (presumably) have really did impress me.

We couldn't do it, however, as the best case would be Mr & Mrs Bung. (Apologies to any Bungs reading)

Mojisola

PenguinJim wrote: »

Doesn't anybody combine names? The example I can't forget is Miss Pugh and Mr Griffin, who married and became Mrs and Mr Puffin. Forging their own name together that their kids would (presumably) have really did impress me.

I know a couple who chose a completely different name so Mr Brown and Ms Smith became Mr and Mrs Flower (not the real names). They weren't happy about any of the options of keeping separate names, using his or her name, double-barrelling and whose name to give to children - a new family name was their solution.

Shelldean

My DD had her father's as we was married. I divorced him.
When the twins were born I changed DD and myself to my maiden name, twins registered in my maiden name. Young son also registered in maiden name.

I wasn't married to the twin and youngest sons dad (all have same dad)

We finally married when youngest was 3, twins 6, and DD was 9.

Three boys were re-registered to reflect the fact I'd married their father. DD was deed polled again to the family name.

Billie-S

springdreams wrote: »

My DS has my last name.

When they are born the hospital will in any event call the baby by the last name of the mother, so my DS was baby springdreams.

In my opinion, if it is so important to the father for his children to bear his last name he should marry their mother before the children are born, not just make noises about doing so one day

I agree. But what did the father of your child think about yours and his baby having your surname?

Most women I know who have a baby/babies with a man they they are not married to, almost always give the baby(s) the man's surname. Yet, on this thread, there seems to be a lot of women giving the baby their surname.

Strange.