Pastelland Forum

Isobel The Sorceress wrote:

In Spain we all have two last names, the father's last name and the mother's last name.

Wait. If a persons last name is a combination of his/her parents' last names, how do you choose which last names are given to the children? I assume you can only have two last names, but if your parents both already have two last names...
Is there are rule for this?

In Finland, kids are given only one last name, it can be the mother's or the father's. When you marry, you can either keep your own last name, take your spouses last name, or combine the last names. However, the kids can't take the combined last name.

The rule is like this: you traditionally get the first surname of each parent (which in turn is your grandads' first surnames, and so on). For example, if your father is called Pedro Aaaaa Bbbbb, and your mother's name is Laura Ccccccc Ddddd, then you would be called, e.g., Adrián Aaaaa Ccccccc.

But that supposedly gives priority to the men over the women (your grandmas' surnames get lost), so after feminist organizations' complaints, not so long ago they created a law that you can change the order of your surnames, putting the mother's name first. But anyways, I've never seen that in practice, the standard thing you see everyday is the order I told above.

I know someone with two first names and someone else with two last names.

Last time I checked I have:
1 first name
multiple middle names – I think I recall my parents telling me that once (my middle names have since been forgotten and I do not know if they even appear on my birth certificate – I should check sometime)
1 last name

In Poland it's simple.
Most people have one surname. If there is a marriage, usually woman takes man's surname. Sometimes, (very rare situations) it's man who takes woman's surname. Sometimes, stays with his old surname, and woman have her own+man's surname. In this case there is space between surnames. If they have children, they usually get's mixed surname... but here is a twist! In this case between child's two surnames appear "-".
So:
My father is Waluszko
My mother is Weychert Waluszko
I'm Weychert-Waluszko

^Mostly true. Sometimes the woman doesn't change her last name at all after marriage, though.

borys610 wrote:and woman has her own+man's surname. In this case there is space between surnames

I'm pretty sure that there can be a - thingie, tilde or whatever, between the surnames as well, punctuation-wise.

Second names aren't very common. I know maybe, like, two people who have them.

See, I like Poland better (as my heritage is there), as well as Finland's - Keeps it simple (that is, if I was European.)

As for now, I prefer having one first, middle and last name...XD

I don't understand, what are middle names used for?

Makes the person more distinct.
Because for example, in the year 2005, in the U.S., the name Jacob was the most popular name given to kids who were born.
Now if some or more of the kid was named Jacob Brown, the middle name would distinct the people on a legal level.

According to Wikipedia, it's about culture, tradition and esteem *shrugs*

Well its a better way than what they did in the Giver.

Only my first name makes sence.

It has some conection with the names that Vortex put on me.