PereJoseph
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| Guest said: | | Is it acceptable for the husband to take his wife's name when they marry, instead of the wife taking the husband's name? |
It seems that such a thing would clash with the immemorial customs of all cultures that adhere to the natural law. The woman belongs to the man, thus the seemliness of her taking the name of her husband or at least keeping the name of her father. Then again, sometimes when common men marry women of noble birth, the children take the title (and thus the family name) of the mother, at least where the law of succession allows it. (I don't think this should be allowed, though; I believe the title should not be inherited in such a case.)
But, the man does not belong to the woman; given such unique cases like the one you mentioned, it seems best to adhere to the spirit of the law rather than let the letter kill it. I think that as a general custom, however, the man taking the name of his wife when they marry is repugnant to the natural order and is inappropriate, a sign of corruption in human association.
| Quote: | | I could see this being practical if the husband is an adoptee and thus not attached to his adoptive parents' family or to his biological family. |
Why doesn't he just assume a new name of his own choosing ? Something that marks his history and that will avail to the good repute of his family. Perhaps he is from a certain city or has a certain profession or well-known quality or feature; perhaps he wants to be placed under the patronage of one of the members of the Church Triumphant or else associate himself and his family's name with some sort of noble cause.
There are many historical cases of people assuming new names for various reasons, whether chosen or given. Many old voyageurs and soldiers in Québec, for instance, adopted new names because that is how the community knew them -- the Québecois name "Sanschagrin" (meaning "No Worries") is an example of this practice. (Note that most of these men were far away from home at a young age, otherwise it seems they would have insisted on being called by their own names; this is not very different than the case you mentioned.)
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"One learns more in the woods than in books. The trees and the rocks will teach you things you will not hear elsewhere." -- Saint Bernard de Clairvaux
"Courage, Père Joseph ! We have taken Brisach !" -- Cardinal Richelieu to Père Joseph when the latter was on his deathbed.
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| Posted Jun 12, 2012, 7:58 pm |
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