Should children take the surname of the father or the mother?

[Sun_Kim-Ai]

Asking this because someone criticized me and my wife for giving out children different surnames.

My firstborn daughter has my surname, while the twins have my wife's surname and Germanic names she picked. While for the fourth child will have my surname and I will pick his name.

[petitedollbabee]

It is the parents decision. We’re not living in the 1900’s anymore, you do not have to take the man’s last name in marriage or pass it onto your kids if you don’t want to.


Personally, even though my partner & I are not married, I want my child to have his last name and not mine.

[Bagerl]

If they aren't my kids, I don't care about their last name.

[NathanDavis]

down here we give them both, long ass names... actually

FirstName - MiddleName - Father's Surname - Mother's Surname

for example, officially, I would be Jonathan Santiago Gay Davis... but I just go by Nathan Davis

[OlderAndWiser]

I am an old-fashioned guy and do things the way they were done 100 years ago, but there is no logical reason to say the old-fashioned way is better.

[slatyb]

Both. In a three generations the descendants will have eight names separated by hyphens.

[Alice18]

Let them decided

[DrPepper12]

Either is fine. Whatever you guys choose

[Jamie05rhs]

It doesn't matter. Each family is different.