Whose last name does your baby have?

I kept my maiden name so when I was pregnant the conversation wasn't just about what the baby's first name would be, but what her last name would be as well.

We settled on my husband's surname, but only because it sounded a lot better with her first and middle names. (We also had first and middle name options that went with my last name.)

If I have another baby, I'm not sure what his or her last name will be. We've talked about one kid having my husband's last name and one kid having mine, but my stepmother, a former teacher, thinks that's a crazy idea. She says that kids have enough difficulty and confusion in school and that siblings (and parents) should all have the same last name. I didn't point out to her that she, my father, and her honor student daughter all have different last names.

Momlogic raises an interesting point about twins. One couple who already had two kids with different last names also gave their twins different last names (one got the mom's and one got the dad's). But some parents of twins object to this, saying that twins have an especially close relationship, and that having different last names could jeopardize this. I don't buy it. I don't think sibling bonding has anything to do with last names. For that matter, I doubt one twin has ever thought to ask the other what her last name was before deciding whether or not to bond

Whose last name does your baby have? Do all of your children have the same last name? Do you know any families in which some kids have the mom's last name and other's have the dad's? Would you ever give twins different last names?

Written by Suzanne Murray for CafeMom's Baby Buzz