How to Use a Hyphenated Last Name

Hyphenated names are becoming more common. Some couples choose the hyphenated option as an alternative to the woman taking the man's last name, and other couples with different last names give hyphenated names to their children. Gay couples also may choose to hyphenate their names. In addition, hyphenating two or more last names is a tradition in some cultures.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Treat hyphenated names as one word. For example, Laura Smith-Johnson's last name is Smith-Johnson. Smith is not her "real" last name, and neither is Johnson. Smith-Johnson should be treated as one word and as one last name.

2. Capitalize both parts of the hyphenated name. It's Smith-Johnson, not Smith-johnson. Some computer systems aren't equipped to handle hyphenated names, and therefore you might sometimes see this kind of spelling-- but it's incorrect.

3. Alphabetize hyphenated names by the first letter of the first part of the name. Remember, it's one word. Smith-Johnson begins with an S, not a J.

4. Include the hyphen. Laura Smith-Johnson is not the same name as Laura Smith Johnson.

5. Use the whole name. Laura Smith-Johnson is not sometimes Laura Smith and sometimes Laura Johnson. It may be more convenient to use just half of the hyphenated name, but it's incorrect.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have a hyphenated name, be patient. It's not worth the energy to get mad at people who address mail to you incorrectly or at pharmacists who misfile your prescriptions.
• Avoid editorializing about people's decisions to hyphenate their names. Similarly, if you have a hyphenated name, ignore nasty comments. People's names are nobody else's business.

[anonycy]

on 3/24/2009 The most common "how-to" related to hyphenated surnames is around what people with hyphenated names should do when they get married and have children. Everyone seems to think that in a few generations, children will have over a dozen surnames hyphenated together. This is not the case if they follow a version of what the 20-some-odd Spanish-speaking countries do, where it is the norm for everyone to have two last names. After all, they have managed to function for hundreds of years operating under a dual surname system and their names don't grow with each generation. So when people get married they should keep the same hyphenated name they have always had and nobody has to change. When they have children, each parent contributes one of their two surnames, resulting in a child with one from each parent.