GUYS!! You men of the world! A straight answer and why is all I want!

Well there is an honest straight answer!! THANKYOU!
There is some kind of pride involved in carrying on that name, isn't it? well, and even ownership, yes! A kind of 'loyalty to the clan'; honour to the family... or am I going way overboard already??

you mean by intials.. just a letter? one? two?
So now kids are given a letter from each parent? Do I understand correctly,, the woman takes her husbands initials attached to her name?

This is very interesting! but I am not sure I have it completely right here. Can you possibly give me an example of how that would look? thanks

I will explain to you.Say,my name is apple and my wife's name is orange,then after marriage she will be called,a.orange.And our kids will carry my initial alone,that is a.Now,some people want to give their kids both the initials and in that case,my kids will have a.o. as initials.You catch my point?

srganesh!!! This is really interesting!! Thankyou for explaining it like that!

Another question arises.. .

If the child's name is Ashok.. and your name is apple.. then his name would be A.Ashok?(with capital letters or not?)

AND if your wife wished also to have HER name attached to Ashok, then it would be A.O.Ashok??

This is fascinating! Another question,, is it difficult or troublesome at all without full surnames to find people or look after legal matters in India?

I have met people from India and they all had a first name and a surname. Is this also done i certain areas or is this a change to fit into other cultures.

What an interesting topic you have, Maybe you should make it a discussion and let me ask questions there??

Well well,Look who has come to grace my presence!

What a grand idea you have and I like it. I see it much here and in some other places as well. Great idea, actually as no one loses the identity but rather gains a new perspective.. the hyphen showing the connection of one to the other.. perfect sense to me. Back when my own parents got married this was already being done.
My wife and I have kept our own surnames.

If we had had children together, the child's surname would have been hyphenated, as well, as belonging to BOTH our family trees.. which seems correct.. to MEE, I mean..My wife's name would not disappear.

My view of marriage is very,very old fashioned.I see it as two families blending, not two people finding love and then marrying.So by a wife keeping her maiden name And adding her new name . she honors both families at the same time.

and herself as well!!! Thankyou,, A wondeful statement of honour and equality!

Thank you.

hi thea just had to kibbitz here to say good going speaking as a man I mean, and if she did not have any olive trees, goats, donkeys and possibly taverna then what?

Well as a man I would have to find another woman who did have those things as I wouldn't be giving up my name for one crabby old sheep.

HERE HERE!! But I thought I had seen another discussion where women were saying how it is with changing their names at time of marriage and exactly WHY!
.. I was just checking out about the guys.. what they think.. and now I seee that they don’t need to worry. If they cannot decide, there are women who can help them out with that?? yes?
HAHAHAHAHA,, a whole 132 men here?? and THIS one answering here is a male chauv.. what.. chauffeur?? with all his animal friends from the ..er gentleman who plans to buy her?? and for everything he stands to gain he will take her name??

Does giving a 'tongue in cheek' answer not make it difficult to pronounce your consonants correctly??

If it does I just stick to dipthongs.

'dip'thongs. .. they would be precisely the water kind and not just for the beach, right???

So Hatley,, how would that work.. say if your last name was Smith and your man's name was Jones.. would you be Mrs Hatley Smith-Jones and he.. his name being Coatley?? was it?..would then be Mr Coatley Jones-Smith??

Have I got this right? Would that have 'suited'??

(O I am so bad)

Hat & Coat? Clever.
Makes an interesting choice for names for the children.

hahaha.. aaah I am so glad you are exactly who you are. Thankyou for that!

aah Cloudwatcher.. trust you to stop the merrygoround and start the peaceful music. The way you describe it is how many many people will never ever experience it and that is a shame.. to never know this kind of worth and love without their being sheep and pigs or money involved..I am very grateful that YOU have had this experience yourself and still do. Very grateful indeed!
Thankyou for this lovely description you have given. You have a great gift, my dear friend. Thankyou that you are here.! good night and sleep well!

haha.. well the wit hasn't withered, despite the 23 year's wait!

er.. is it true, o wise one who pays and waits..

Do crocodiles really eat their young?? and, if so

Do they also eat their old?

or should I just google that up my 'way'

wellwell! How very fine to see you here, as I sing the hallelujah song all the while.

My parents were very traditional also.. My mother took my father's name and thus, HER name was hyphenated.. and we kids received the name of our father. I never had a problem with it but DID start to question it in later years when my brother married and they kept each their birth names! Their kids now have the names of both parents hyphenated together..( No THE NAMES, not the parents.. sheeesh!

Must be cruel fate, this, eh? that you should know this from me and be driven totally crazy??

But, DO tell me.. otherwise is all well??

Hello again minivan! All is well with me, I've just been very busy lately is all. I've also just returned from a business trip, so wasn't able to get online that often while I was away. Such is life! I guess there can be SOME defining moments with hyphenating Surames after marriage and my hat goes off to all of the lovely couples in the following link: http://hogrockcafe.com/hyphenated_surnames.htm (And if my link doesn't work as per usual, then it's the standard www. . followed by hogrockcafe.com/hyphenated_surnames and then the .htm)

I hope all is well with you and yours too my friend!

aahh! HAHAHA... O lawdy I laughed and laughed here and cannot believe what fun newspaper reporters subject themselves to, nor what 'people' subject themselves to HAHAHAH .. O THAT was wonderful. Thankyou ever so much for sharing that with me.. I cannot wipe away this grin..nor the effects on my abs.. a great workout!

I have just emailed it to my wife. She is having her lunch.. hope she has finished her coffee.

My fine friend! A pleasure to see you and talk again. be well!