It has always been an unwritten rule for the wife to take on the husband’s last name to carry on his family name but, what about the woman’s family name and is it considered weak for a man to take his wife’s last name? Watch the responses below and see if you agree.
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In ancient times when communities were small and all members of a village, clan or tribe knew each other, a surname was unneeded for identification, but often used to trace lineage. In societies where leadership was hereditary, being able to prove a “pure” connection to the king or chief was crucial.
Many surnames denote relationships, usually to the father: Anglo-Saxon names ending with “son” (William’s son: Williamson), “fitz” in French Names (Fitzhugh, son of Hugh), “nui-a” in a Hawaiian male’s name, “Mac” or “Mc” in Scots names (McKay) and Hispanic names ending with “es” or “ez” (Hernandez). These come from attempts to distinguish one man with a common name from another. Norse names often extended this to female children: Niall’s daughter became Niallsdottir.
