Whats in a Name

My last name is everything to me. It sets me apart from most people in the world, and shows that I am part of a strong family. Also, my last name illustrates facts about my ancestors, where my family originated, and even what they have accomplished. If I proposed to the perfect girl and she said "yes," but only if she could keep her last name; we would have to have a long chat about this decision. I feel very strongly about the idea that my wife should have my last name, but I understand why some women prefer to keep their maiden names. First, some women choose to keep their last name because of their profession. These occupations can include politicians, writers, lawyers, doctors, etc. Women in any of these lines of work want to have the last name they started with, because they want to maintain their clientele. If a woman was to get married and accept the husband's last name, she could potentially lose all or some of her customers. This scenario could be devastating to a woman's job, and I would feel sorry for her. However, I still think that I would want my girlfriend to accept my last name when we were married. It has been a long standing tradition that a woman takes her husband's last name upon marriage. I believe that this tradition needs to be continued, and hope that my fiancé accepts my last name. The principal of both the husband and wife having the same last name demonstrates a stronger sense of unity within the relationship. Also, if my wife had a different last name it could possibly cause problems with our children. They could be criticized by other students for being one of the few people with parents who had separate last names.
Personally, I would not want to marry someone who did not want to receive my last name. No woman who has ever married into my family has ever refused to take the family name. I believe that my family would not appreciate it if my wife did not have the same last name as me. Also, I would not want to end the tradition of passing along the "Moore" name to my children. If my fiancé refused to accept my name when I proposed, I think that it would be very difficult to marry her. She could be the most perfect woman in the world, but I still would like a wife who had my last name. The only way I would marry a girl who kept her last name is if I was extremely in love with her. I would give my best attempt to try to change her mind, and depending on what she said I would have to make a very tough decision.