Thirty’s the new twenty, but are grooms’ last names the new brides’ last names too?
There’s a rumor going around that Jay-Z may be taking Beyonce’s last name. Why? According to a BET blog, the British tabloid The Daily Star says that Jay-Z and Beyonce will take each other’s names–Shawn Knowles-Carter and Beyonce Knowles-Carter to keep the Knowles name alive. I don’t recall ever in my life picking up a tabloid, but I’m going to humor this one just so I can ask questions about marriages and last names.
If the purpose of keeping the last name Knowles alive is the issue, wouldn’t it make more sense to ask a blood relative who is not married–Solange Knowles–to give her son the Knowles last name as opposed to a non-blood relative who may want to carry on his own last name? Solange’s son’s name is Daniel Julez J. Smith. According to Essence Magazine, she’s not even married to Daniel Smith anymore. Outside of chivalrous reasons, I don’t know what the rules are on a child taking the father’s last name if they never get married or are no longer married. I can’t see making Solange give up her son’s last name now, but I wonder was the last name up for discussion during the pregnancy stage?
If Tina Knowles and Mathew Knowles are really getting a divorce due to adultery, according to US Magazine, why would they even want the name Knowles to live on? And what is the obsession with letting names live on? According to Toure.com, the name Beyonce was originally a last name, but since only one of Beyonce’s mother’s, Tina, brothers had a son she decided to name her daughter Beyonce to let the last name live on. But this time it would be the future R&B superstar’s first name.
Now while I do understand why someone may be interested in letting their last names live on, besides the fact that there really was a blood relative who could’ve taken the Knowles name–or at least wait until Jay-Z and Beyonce have a child–what makes everybody not want to let the last name Carter live on?
I know we’ve gotten to a point in society where taking the guy’s last name is a little old-fashioned. My own mother dropped her birth middle name and made her maiden name her new middle name, then took my father’s last name. It was a way to keep both. But the guy taking the wife’s last name? Call me old school, but I just don’t see why he should give up his last name. For the devil’s advocates out there, I’m sure you’re going to ask, “Why should the woman give up her last name?” This is true. Why should she? Why can’t they both just keep their own names and call it a day?
Speaking for myself, I’d be very frustrated to marry a guy with a multi-syllabic last name. My first name is already four syllables. I don’t need my last name being long too! Vaughn, I love. But Shamontiel Supercalifragilistic is a name I just don’t need.
So how do you feel about last names? Should the woman take the man’s last name? Should the man be open to taking the woman’s last name? Or, should they both keep their own last names and leave well enough alone?