I’ve heard that American women change their last name to their husband’s last name after they get married. Is that true?

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@bsloan7 Ok, why American women need to do that? Are there some cultural reasons? If so, can you let me know because I’m interested in American culture?

@brendan7somm Ok. Thank you for letting me know the case! I appreciate that.

@bsloan7 Ok. Because I know you’re learning Chinese, maybe you’re interested in Chinese culture too, so I’d like you to know that it’s never the case here in China. I’ve never seen a woman change her last name to her husband’s after they get married.

Also, I want to ask you, babies’ last names usually agree with their fathers’ instead of their mothers’ there in America, right?

@tao_jie I get it. Thank you for the comment!

@bsloan7 Thank you! What if a woman didn’t change her last name to her husband’s and they had a baby after they got married? In that case, would it be more likely to give the baby the mother’s last name or the father’s?

@bsloan7 Ok. Thank you! Here in China, because most people share the same culture, Chinese people generally aren’t from around the world, so parents will give a baby the father’s last name in most cases. It’s common to give a baby the mother’s last name only in these situations:

1. A child’s father died so early that the child wouldn’t even remember the father’s appearance when they grow up.
2. In a divorced family, a child chooses to live with their mother. In that case, the mother would probably change the child’s last name to her own last name (the mother does so because before the divorce, the child’s last name is likely to be their father’s).

I hope my explanation helps you to learn more about Chinese culture. 😄

@janines Ok. Thank you for the comment! I’m sorry that your mom had to change her last name to your dad’s last name. I even start to think the American government seems to target Asians, because if two Americans get married, the American mother won’t be forced to take the American father’s last name.

@janines Yes, I think I can imagine how hard it is for an Asian to live in America. I hope your mom and dad are happy throughout their married life. ❤️