Hilary Who?

I think everyone should have a hyphenated name (sort of like the way it's done in Spanish speaking  countries.) For example: if your father's name was Tom Smith-Brown and your mother's name was Ann White-Jones, you would be Jane Brown-Jones.

It has never made sense to me that children get their father's last name, but not their mother's. I say it's time to end this outdated custom of the patriarchy. Under the hyphenated name system a woman would not change her name when she married - another outdated custom. Since women can now vote and own property I think they ought to be able to keep their names, too.

Here's another little interesting part of my idea: Females would take the name of their father first, mother second, and males would take the name of their mother first, father second.  The brother of Jane Brown-Jones would be Tom Jones-Brown.

In this way Jane's children would get her maternal name, and Tom's children would get his paternal name.

Pretty nifty, huh? Sure do wish I was queen of the world.
 What would your name be under my system?