On the subject of husbands' last names.

[kiya]

This from the most recent spam phone call I've gotten (I'm answering the phone today because Kevin placed an order and they might be calling here).

Hello?
Can I speak to Kevin Marsh?
I'm afraid he's at work.

This is the normal thing. Normally in follow-up to this, they ask me, "Are you Mrs. Marsh?" and I say "No." This time they asked the question that I answer "Yes" to:

Is this his wife?
Yes.

Then it gets interesting.

Mrs. Marsh, I. . .
My name is not Mrs. Marsh.
Huh?

Graceful recovery, that.

I did not take my husband's name.
*with amazing huffiness* Oh-kay. Sorrreeeeee.

Then she hung up on me.

Comments

[roimata.livejournal.com]

I'd have a problem if I changed my surname to that of my husband if I got married. Firstly, my surname is a patronymic - it's my father's first name, with the equivalent of 'daughter of' added to the end. I would feel really weird about changing that, because I can't not be my father's daughter anymore just because I get married. I mean, if he so disapproved of my choice that he disowned me, I'd still be his daughter. Secondly, there's the issue of heredity. The system where I'm from is laid out so that it'll be easy to find out someone's genealogy by knowing their name and the name of their father - I can trace my ancestors back to the father of the man who joined Norway into a single kingdom, way back when swords(or axes) and shields were considered accessories a man simply could not leave home without.

So, um, yeah. If I do get married, I'm keeping my surname.