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ArchivesNaming Debate on Surnames
I'm having something of a debate with a man who uses feminism as the root of many of today's ills. (*eye roll*) One thing that has touched a nerve with him is women who use their maiden name as part of their married name. When I attempted to explain to him that in many, many cultures the woman retains her birth name after marriage, he tried to explain that away by saying that feminism is the root of THAT. I do believe that in certain cultures (Latin, Eastern European, Arabic), these practices have always been in place (or at least were in place before the rise of feminism), however, before confronting this person, I want to be sure of my facts. Besides, saying that feminism influenced naming practices in Arabic countries seems pretty silly to me.
Does anyone here know of any historical sources on how married names evolved in non-English-speaking cultures?
TIA.
Does anyone here know of any historical sources on how married names evolved in non-English-speaking cultures?
TIA.
This message was edited 7/19/2014, 2:18 PM
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I can tell you how it worked in Sweden for a very, very long time. I do genealogy research so I know what I'm talking about ;).
Swedish women did not take their husbands' surname until the early 1900's. Before then they kept their maiden names. Example: Carl August Persson married Ingrid Olofsdotter. Ingrid Olofsdotter kept her full name and did not add her husband's. She was just Ingrid Olofsdotter from the day she was born until the day she died. In other words, when feminism was not present at all in the Swedish society, the practice of keeping your maiden name was.
So you're right.
Swedish women did not take their husbands' surname until the early 1900's. Before then they kept their maiden names. Example: Carl August Persson married Ingrid Olofsdotter. Ingrid Olofsdotter kept her full name and did not add her husband's. She was just Ingrid Olofsdotter from the day she was born until the day she died. In other words, when feminism was not present at all in the Swedish society, the practice of keeping your maiden name was.
So you're right.
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Thanks!
This message was edited 7/27/2014, 3:06 PM
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You just have to go to Wikipedia find some notable women from different places and periods. On the top of my head, Artemisia Gentileschi and Christine de Pizan, who were both married. It obviously did not happen in Rome, it doesn't happen in Arab world or in Iceland (where people have patronymic surnames, anyway). In any case, in most Western countries surnames are a relatively recent phenomenon.
Certainly in the Iberian peninsula this practice never existed. This probably explains why Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking cultures are probably the only ones in the world where people traditionally carry their mother's surnames in addition to their fathers (and in Portugal until the mid-20th century many women inherited surnames only matrilineally).
Certainly in the Iberian peninsula this practice never existed. This probably explains why Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking cultures are probably the only ones in the world where people traditionally carry their mother's surnames in addition to their fathers (and in Portugal until the mid-20th century many women inherited surnames only matrilineally).
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Thank you!
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