husband's name

I too disagree. I just think that in some cases there is something to be said for tradition.

well not all couples do that...I've seen plenty of men take the wife's name and also I've seen couples come up with a whole new name. I think it just depends on the people involved. Personally I took my husband's name, but not for any moral or religious reasons, just because I like his last name better, plus I feel more like a family having the same last name.

Hi mizcash, i'm a lady but i don't agree with you. It actually depends on what you actually mean though. Personally, i believe that women came from men and in the home a man is the head while the wife is the 'neck'. Children should take after their father's name and the wife after her husband's name. It just shows for respect and love. cheers!

Historically, it's because of the belief that, as the other person said, woman came out of man, so the man is the head of the household. In many cultures, this became translated as ownership... the man owns the woman, so he gives her his last name to show ownership. It's also why black slaves in American took the last name of their owners... it's kind of like a brand on cattle, showing others who owns this particular "piece of property." However, these days, at least in America, that connotation is lost. Now we do it because, well, we want to show family unity, and it's tradition to take the man's last name, so we just do. I have known many couples in which the woman retains her maiden name, and I've even known a few in which the man takes the woman's last name, or they put both their names together into a hyphenated surname (Smith-Jones or what have you). Of course, things are different in each culture, and I'm sure that those options would be unacceptable in some cultures.