hyphen help

[jjakq27]

Can someone explain the rules and reason for the recent surge in hyphenated names? Is one the dad's name and the other the mom's or is there some other rhyme or reason for it?

[BengalszoneBilly]

Can someone explain the rules and reason for the recent surge in hyphenated names? Is one the dad's name and the other the mom's or is there some other rhyme or reason for it?

Example: Hillary Rodham-Clinton. Nothing more than pretentiousness by a rich loser liberal.

[BengalPimp]

Glad you said something, I was just about to change my name to Bengal-Pimp.

[jjakq27]

Can someone explain the rules and reason for the recent surge in hyphenated names? Is one the dad's name and the other the mom's or is there some other rhyme or reason for it?

Example: Hillary Rodham-Clinton. Nothing more than pretentiousness by a rich loser liberal.

I was thinking more of someone like Maurice Jones-Drew but your response was good.

[redsbengalsbucks]

I think some religions use this to honor both family heritages in a name for a child. It does not bother me as much as the idiots that think they can be just 1 name. Prince and Diddy come to mind.

[BengalszoneBilly]

I think some religions use this to honor both family heritages in a name for a child. It does not bother me as much as the idiots that think they can be just 1 name. Prince and Diddy come to mind.

Don't forget "Sting", and "Cher".

[jjakq27]

I think some religions use this to honor both family heritages in a name for a child. It does not bother me as much as the idiots that think they can be just 1 name. Prince and Diddy come to mind.

I know in the hispanic culture they will add the mother's name after the father's name. For example Dave Concepcion is David Ismael Concepcion (Benitez).

But I was curious to find out the rules as the apply to what I have noticed lately here in the US. I can only guess that for example Maurice Jones-Drew's mother's name was Jones and his father's name was Drew.

[HoosierCat]

Can someone explain the rules and reason for the recent surge in hyphenated names? Is one the dad's name and the other the mom's or is there some other rhyme or reason for it?

I would say the "surge" is simple demographics. The hyphenated last name concept -- Jane Doe marrying John Smith and becoming Jane Doe-Smith -- was a Seventies equal-rights-era (no pun intended) idea that gained steam in the Eighties. So if Jane and John got hitched in, oh, 1985, and started a family right away, their kids would be coming out of college 2006, '07, '08, basically about where we are.

[jjakq27]

Can someone explain the rules and reason for the recent surge in hyphenated names? Is one the dad's name and the other the mom's or is there some other rhyme or reason for it?

I would say the "surge" is simple demographics. The hyphenated last name concept -- Jane Doe marrying John Smith and becoming Jane Doe-Smith -- was a Seventies equal-rights-era (no pun intended) idea that gained steam in the Eighties. So if Jane and John got hitched in, oh, 1985, and started a family right away, their kids would be coming out of college 2006, '07, '08, basically about where we are.

OK, well that historical perspective makes sense but I always thought of that in terms of a woman wanting to keep her maiden name. So in Chelsea Clinton's case, if she gets married does she become Chelsea Rodham-Clinton Smith, for example?

It's also kinda like hundreds of years ago when people started referring to a person by their relationship to their father like calling someone Bill, son of John or Bill Johnson. But I guess I am still confused on how the hyphenation thing applies to a guy.

Also what happens when Jane Doe-Smith marries John Williams-Johnson and they have children of their own? Is the kid's name John Doe-Smith Williams-Johnson Jr.? Or just John Smith-Johnson Jr.? It just seems rather cumbersome. Or does it revert to just the father's name and we start over?

[BengalPimp]

Also what happens when Jane Doe-Smith marries John Williams-Johnson and they have children of their own? Is the kid's name John Doe-Smith Williams-Johnson Jr.? Or just John Smith-Johnson Jr.? It just seems rather cumbersome. Or does it revert to just the father's name and we start over?

Dude, you're making my head hurt.....So i'm changing my name to BengalPimp Head-Hurt.......

[Ickey44]

Also what happens when Jane Doe-Smith marries John Williams-Johnson and they have children of their own? Is the kid's name John Doe-Smith Williams-Johnson Jr.? Or just John Smith-Johnson Jr.? It just seems rather cumbersome. Or does it revert to just the father's name and we start over?

I don't know if you're trying to be funny or what, but I just laughed my ass off.

[HoosierCat]

But I guess I am still confused on how the hyphenation thing applies to a guy.

It varies. From my own experience, it's rare for the guy to hyphenate, but it does happen.

Also what happens when Jane Doe-Smith marries John Williams-Johnson and they have children of their own? Is the kid's name John Doe-Smith Williams-Johnson Jr.? Or just John Smith-Johnson Jr.? It just seems rather cumbersome. Or does it revert to just the father's name and we start over?

Well, that will be an issue going forward, won't it? My suspicion is that the obvious cumbersomeness will eliminate "Doe-Smith-Williams-Johnson" and Jane will either just keep using her maiden name or adopt "Williams-Johnson."

[jjakq27]

But I guess I am still confused on how the hyphenation thing applies to a guy.

It varies. From my own experience, it's rare for the guy to hyphenate, but it does happen.

Also what happens when Jane Doe-Smith marries John Williams-Johnson and they have children of their own? Is the kid's name John Doe-Smith Williams-Johnson Jr.? Or just John Smith-Johnson Jr.? It just seems rather cumbersome. Or does it revert to just the father's name and we start over?

Well, that will be an issue going forward, won't it? My suspicion is that the obvious cumbersomeness will eliminate "Doe-Smith-Williams-Johnson" and Jane will either just keep using her maiden name or adopt "Williams-Johnson."

Again my main question had to do with a guy like Maurice Jones-Drew or the basketball player for Florida (?) with the hyphenated name. Also is it prevalent because the person might have been born out of wedlock and it's a way to honor the mother too?

Thanks for your input everyone.

[HoosierCat]

Again my main question had to do with a guy like Maurice Jones-Drew or the basketball player for Florida (?) with the hyphenated name.

MJD's parents were Dana and Andrea Drew. But he was very close to his grandfather, Maurice Jones. When he died, MJD added the "J" to honor him.

[COB]

A few years back on the mini tours (golf) in Flordia there was a player named Kevin Gessino-Kraft. Everyone just called him "hyphen". As in, "Anyone break 70?" Answer - "Yea, Hyphen shot 67." He was originally Kevin Kraft, he married a girl with the last name Gessino. I always suspected he didn't want to get confused with another pro golfer named Greg Kraft, but I never asked him. Alas, hyphen played the Nationwide Tour the last two years then washed out. Hell of a nice guy, though.

[Thurmanation]

A few years back on the mini tours (golf) in Flordia there was a player named Kevin Gessino-Kraft. Everyone just called him "hyphen". As in, "Anyone break 70?" Answer - "Yea, Hyphen shot 67." He was originally Kevin Kraft, he married a girl with the last name Gessino. I always suspected he didn't want to get confused with another pro golfer named Greg Kraft, but I never asked him. Alas, hyphen played the Nationwide Tour the last two years then washed out. Hell of a nice guy, though.

The way i've seen it done sometimes was Jane Fredrick married John Coburg, then when they split Jane Coburg didn't want to legally change her name back to just jane fredrick after so long so she adds in her name to it to become Jane Fredrick (Coburg)

[Orange and black fanatic]

This is in the top 10 of weird threads that have legs I have ever seen. Pretty funny though.

For my 2 cents, I don't think there are any rules to the hyphenated names. Just personal preferences. Most commonly it is for a woman to hold onto her maiden name. I'll ask my feminist wife... she says feminists are big into it and also in the higher learning sector professors encourage woman who are going to publish, go into academia or professional careers. Some empowerment nonsense.

I knew a couple who got married and neither of them liked either of their last names so they just made up a new one to take share after they were married.

Or like when a kid was named Nosmo-king because the first thing the new mother saw after giving birth was a "No Smoking" sign.

[jjakq27]

It's obvious from some of the responses that there are no real rules. I just thought this might be a fad or something, especially in the African-American community, because it seems more prevalent or noticeable lately.

As an aside, I do know of a woman that took her husband's last name as her middle name and kept her own name as her last name.

Thanks again everyone for your input.