“Mrs. His Name”: Women's Preferences For Married Names

"I Would Like Us to Share a Name so That We Can Be Recognized in Society." Marital Surname Preferences in Same-Sex Relationships

Despite the recent expansion of marriage rights within the U.S., relatively little is known about marriage-related practices among people in same-sex relationships. The current study extends prior research by investigating marital surname preferences in a large, sociodemographically diverse sample of U.S. adults in same-sex relationships. Participants (N = 179) described their surname preferences in an open-ended format. Thematic analysis revealed that many participants were open to making some type of marital surname change. When explaining their surname preferences, participants often cited their desire to unite the whole family under the same surname. Importantly, however, quantitative analyses illustrated that surname preferences significantly varied according to sociodemographic background characteristics such as age. Collectively, findings suggest a possible generational shift in surname preferences among individuals in same-sex relationships.

“Maybe One Day I Will also be Almito”: Ethiopian Israelis, Naming, and the Politics of Immigrant Identity

The issue of name change, and in particular name reclaiming (i.e., taking back a heritage name), among immigrants has been rarely studied academically, despite its centrality to immigrant identity and immigration experiences. Immigrants, in many countries, are often encouraged or pressured to change their names, but in recent years, some have chosen to reclaim their heritage or original names. This article analyzes the practice of name reclaiming among young Israelis of Ethiopian heritage, a community that has experienced racial discrimination. Data were gathered through a qualitative phenomenological study of 19 young adults who immigrated to Israel from Ethiopia as minors. The analysis yielded two simultaneous dialogues: an internal dialogue in which individuals described their personal experience of name reclaiming and an external dialogue in which name reclaiming reflected a political and social process through which a discriminated minority could express increased feelings of power and agency. The results enrich the study of migration by showing the ways in which personal and social-political processes experienced by a discriminated minority intertwine, as vividly illustrated by the specific case of name reclaiming.

“I Have Two Names, Xian and Alex”: Psychological Correlates of Adopting Anglo Names

The practice of adopting Anglo names among ethnic minorities and foreign individuals may be intended to smooth interactions with majority group members, but it may also have negative implications for minorities themselves. Two studies investigated the associations among adoption of Anglo names, self-esteem, and other psychological outcomes. Chinese college students studying in the United States completed a battery of questions regarding adoption of Anglo names, self-esteem, mental and physical health, and well-being. In Study 1, path analyses indicated that adoption of Anglo names was negatively associated with self-esteem, and self-esteem mediated the relationships between adopting Anglo names and other psychological outcomes. In Study 2, path analyses replicated the results of Study 1. However, contrary to predictions, perceived discrimination did not predict adoption of Anglo names in the path model. These findings point to negative consequences associated with adopting Anglo names. These results contribute to the literature on the importance of names and shed light on interventions to improve intergroup relations and curriculum development in language teaching.

Names and "Doing Gender": How Forenames and Surnames Contribute to Gender Identities, Difference, and Inequalities

Names, as proper nouns, are clearly important for the identification of individuals in everyday life. In the present article, I argue that forenames and surnames need also to be recognized as "doing" words, important in the categorization of sex at birth and in the ongoing management of gender conduct appropriate to sex category. Using evidence on personal naming practices in the United States and United Kingdom, I examine what happens at crisis points of sexed and gendered naming in the life course (for example, at the birth of babies, at marriage, and during gender-identity transitions). I show how forenames and surnames help in the embodied doing of gender and, likewise, that bodies are key to gendered practices of forenaming and surnaming: we have "gendered embodied named identities." Whether normative and compliant, pragmatic, or creative and resistant, forenaming and surnaming practices are revealed as core to the production and reproduction of binary sex categories and to gendered identities, difference, hierarchies, and inequalities.

“Names Can Never Hurt Me?”

Research has shown that a woman's selected title of address affects perceiver impressions of her (e.g., Dion, 1987). This study adds to our understanding of the effects of chosen identity labels on perceptions of women by examining impressions as a function of a married woman's surname use. A total of 222 female and male students at a private university read a brief description of a woman who, at the time of her marriage, decided to take her husband's name, keep her maiden name, or use a hyphenated name. Participants rated the stimulus person on 51 traits along 7-point rating scales. The woman who took her husband's name was perceived as less agentic and more communal than women who either kept their maiden name or hyphenated their name.

Differences in Beliefs and Behaviors Between Feminist Actual and Anticipated Mothers

The transition to parenthood has been linked to an increase in traditional attitudes and behaviors. The goal of our study was to determine whether feminist mothers differed from feminist non-mothers on attitudes and behaviors related to motherhood. Self-labeled feminist mothers ( n = 344) and non-mothers who indicated that they wished to have children ( n = 361; anticipated mothers) were asked about their feminist beliefs, their actual or expected division of labor after they had children, and actual or expected child surname choices. Results indicated that liberal feminist beliefs were higher among anticipated mothers. Liberal feminist beliefs with a focus on equality in the workplace may not be as salient to mothers. Cultural feminist beliefs, however, were higher among actual mothers. Cultural feminism, which focuses on valuing care, communal traits, and the role of women as mothers, may be particularly appealing to mothers. Additionally, feminist anticipated mothers expected a more egalitarian division of labor than feminist mothers actually experienced. Finally, feminist anticipated mothers expected to make significantly more nontraditional name choices for their children than feminist mothers actually made. Feminist women may experience social pressures that are unanticipated by women who are not yet mothers. The impact of cultural feminism on feminist motherhood is also discussed.

“Girls Don’t Propose! Ew.”

Thematic analysis was used to explore how emerging adults explained their preferences for two marriage traditions: marriage proposals and surname changes. Quantitative analyses were subsequently used to examine the association between benevolent sexism and participants’ marriage-tradition preferences. A sample of 277 undergraduates ( M = 19 years) completed a survey that included open- and closed-ended questions about attitudes toward marriage traditions and gender-role ideology. Results of the thematic analysis indicated that both women and men tended to hold traditional marriage preferences—especially with regards to marriage proposals. Multiple regression indicated that endorsing benevolent sexism was related to holding more traditional preferences. The findings are interpreted in relation to the role that hidden power may play in many heterosexual romantic relationships.

Do lesbians change their last names in the context of a committed relationship?

SUMMARY This exploratory study begins to redress a critical gap in the literature on committed same-sex relationships and last name practices. Data were gathered from an Internet survey, which included 16 lesbian respondents currently in a same-sex relationship. Analyses explored individual, couple, and family of origin factors associated with changing or not changing one's name. Name-changing was cited as a strategy for securing external recognition and acceptance of family status by outsiders. Not changing was cited as a strategy to preserve each partner's individual identity. Contrary to our expectations, changing one's last name was not associated with having a commitment ceremony. Instead, name-changing was ritualized on other occasions, special to the individual couple, such as an anniversary, a partner's birthday, or an intimate dinner party among friends.