surnames

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A Jolie-Pitt Kid Will Soon Be Just a Jolie
Shiloh Jolie-Pitt
Is Dropping
a Surname
UPDATED
Jul 21, 2024 8:21 AM CDT

Shiloh Jolie-Pitt Is Dropping a Surname

Daughter of Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt takes out legal notice to drop 'Pitt' from her name

(Newser) - Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt is one big—and public—step closer to becoming Shiloh Nouvel Jolie. The 18-year-old daughter of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt took out a legal notice in the Los Angeles Times stipulating her intent to drop "Pitt" from her name, reports Page Six . Though some headlines...

In 500 Years, Everyone in Japan May Have the Same Name

Japan's residents may all have surname Sato if an antiquated civil code isn't updated, researcher says

(Newser) - An antiquated law in Japan could lead to an unusual happening in about five centuries: everyone with the same surname. That surname would be Sato, which is the conclusion on the universally shared surname by the year 2531 arising from the research of Tohoku University economics professor Hiroshi Yoshida. More...

Ron DeSantis Offers an Answer on How to Say His Last Name

'Winner,' the presidential candidate snarks, refusing to clarify further on 'ridiculous' pronunciation debate

(Newser) - "Dee-Santis" or "Deh-Santis"? How GOP presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pronounces his own last name has become the debate du jour , and although Mediaite calls it a "substantively meaningless distinction," the public's curiosity has yet to be quelled. Fox News reporter Paul...

No One Knows How to Say Ron DeSantis' Name— Including DeSantis
DeSantis Keeps
Switching How He
Says His Name
THE RUNDOWN
Jun 1, 2023 8:41 AM CDT

DeSantis Keeps Switching How He Says His Name

Yearslong puzzle on how to pronounce surname reignites now that he's running for president

(Newser) - Now that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has officially jumped into the 2024 presidential race, people have lots of questions on what he plans to do if he's elected to the Oval Office. But another question has emerged of late, and it's a more personal one: How the heck...

Giving Father's Name to Child Shouldn't Be Automatic: Court

Official says Italian government will support move to end discriminatory practice

(Newser) - Children should not automatically be given the father's surname at birth, a court in Italy has ruled, calling the traditional practice "discriminatory and harmful to the identity" of the child. Newborns should receive the surnames of both parents, the court said in a statement, the Guardian reports. Parents...

After 150 Years, Japan Reverts to Old-School Tradition

Surnames will now come before first names, at least in government documents

(Newser) - For about 150 years, the Japanese have been following the first name, then surname method of being referenced when using the Roman alphabet in written materials. On Friday, however, a big change was announced: The country's government is switching the order of the names and reverting to the former...

15 Most Common US Surnames May Surprise You

6 of top 15 are traditionally Hispanic

(Newser) - You're almost as likely to come upon someone with the last name "Garcia," "Rodriguez," or "Lopez" as you are to find someone with the surname "Jones." That's according to 2010 Census data released Thursday, which shows six of the 15 most...

Japan Supreme Court: Couple Must Use Same Surname

Women's rights activists say the rule is antiquated, discriminatory

(Newser) - Japan's Supreme Court issued a ruling Wednesday that maintains a longtime civil rule some say is unconstitutional and discriminatory: forcing married couples to officially choose one surname, the BBC reports. Presiding Justice Itsuro Terada said that the surname mandate wasn't discriminatory, since a couple could choose to use...

Stop Judging Women Who Take Their Husband's Name

In some cases, it can be a 'feminist act,' argues female writer

(Newser) - When Amanda Kolson got married, she made Kolson her middle name and took her husband's surname, Hurley, as her last. Cue the raised eyebrows and not-so-subtle judgments. "It was as if I'd admitted my favorite restaurant was the Cheesecake Factory, or that I listened to Nickelback,"...

Brides Say 'I Do' (Not Take Your Name)

Women keeping their maiden names on the rise again: 'NYT' study

(Newser) - The 1970s heralded a feminist-driven wave of brides who kept their maiden names, but that trend dived in the 1980s, when new wives started using their husbands' name again. Now, a New York Times analysis, the number of maiden-name-retaining women is surpassing that of the '70s. Using Google Consumer...

Woman With 36-Character Last Name Wins Fight With Hawaii

Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele

(Newser) - You will never, ever, ever see Janice "Lokelani" Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele's last name in lights or a headline, but the Hawaii woman can now at least see her hefty surname in its entirety on her driver's license. As the AP reports, Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele (try writing that without the crutch of...

Chinese Orphans Won't Be Named 'State' or 'Party'

Orphanages told to give kids better surnames

(Newser) - No longer will "state" or "party" be the last name of children in Chinese orphanages, Jezebel reports via MSNBC . Until now, orphanages commonly gave kids those generic surnames—which enabled people to peg them as orphans for life and leave them feeling marginalized. So China issued the rule...

Usain Bolt, William Wordsworth: Can Your Name Influence Job Choice?
 Can Your Name 
 Influence Your 
 Job Choice? 
just ask usain
Dec 25, 2011 3:53 PM CST

Can Your Name Influence Your Job Choice?

Experts say yes in new study

(Newser) - Ever noticed how perfect the name Wordsworth is for a poet, or wondered whether Usain Bolt's last name prompted his running career? Researchers are currently investigating whether one's name can influence one's choice of job, with one study already suggesting it can. Indeed, it's become a...

Hyphenated Parents Struggle With Children's Surnames

 Kids' Surnames 
 a Dilemma for 
 Hyphenated 
 Parents 
'Rosenpollackpelznerbaum'?
Nov 27, 2011 1:45 PM CST

Kids' Surnames a Dilemma for Hyphenated Parents

Does baby get 4 last names?

(Newser) - If you’re Smith-Jones and your husband is Johnson-Miller, do you give your baby four last names? Growing up, Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow often faced similar questions, she writes in the New York Times . Her parents were of a generation that sought to emphasize gender equality by hyphenating their kids’ last names;...

How 'Washington' Became America's 'Blackest Name'

Were former slaves honoring George, embracing America?

(Newser) - George Washington’s name is synonymous with America—and of the people who bear his surname today, 90% of them are African-American, according to the 2000 census. How did “Washington” become, as Jesse Washington, writing for the AP calls it, the “blackest name" in America? It could be...

These Days, Immigrants Keep, Cherish Their Names
These Days, Immigrants Keep, Cherish Their Names 
LI, NOT LEE
Aug 26, 2010 10:15 AM CDT

These Days, Immigrants Keep, Cherish Their Names

Ellis Island white-washing a thing of the past

(Newser) - Our long-simmering great American Melting Pot may finally be ready to handle a little ethnic spice: Unlike in Ellis Island's heyday, when wave upon wave of tired, poor, huddled masses anglicized their names in order to assimilate, today's immigrants are sticking with their surnames. “For the most part, nobody...

German Court Says Nein to Long Last Names

Ruling upholds ban on "chain names" with more than one hyphen

(Newser) - Germany's highest court has upheld the country's ban on triple-barreled surnames, the BBC reports. The court ruled that limiting surnames to two did not violate freedom of expression laws. Frieda Thalheim and Hans-Peter Kunz-Hallstein—who have been married for 12 years but legally couldn't take their preferred last name, Thalheim-Kunz-Hallstein—...

Facebook Identity Cops Diss Real Yodas, Batmans

(Newser) - Facebook has a thing against funny names, particularly if they’re actually yours, the Washington Post reports. Caitlin Shaw, who wanted to add her maiden name, Batman, to her profile, endured weeks of back-and-forth emails, while Starkiller Unleashed sails through. Facebook says it scrutinizes the real applicants because they are...

Unrelated Obamas Relish Connection

(Newser) - Ordinary citizens who share the last name Obama with the president-elect are seeing goodwill and unexpected perks lately, the Washington Post reports. They might not be able to score Inauguration tickets, but entrance to a swanky nightclub? No problem. Speeding ticket? Fixed. And it’s an exclusive club: The country...

100 Surnames for 1.3B People Causes Chinese Confusion

Surname shortage causes identity mixups, bureaucratic chaos

(Newser) - The Chinese call them liaobaixing, or "old 100 names," and they are so partial to those 100 traditional surnames, Radio Free Netherlands tells us, that over 90% of the country's population of 1.3 billion share them. The profusion of Wangs, Chen, Lis and Wus creates powerful feelings...

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