Aussie parents giving their newborns blended last names
It’s the newest fad when it comes to baby names. But instead of quirky first names – couples are now giving their babies “mashed-up” surnames. The trend is growing so fast, it’s overtaking the hyphenated last name. TAKE OUR POLL
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Some children get their father’s surname, some get their mother’s, some get both with a hyphen — but Lyla Casseldon got a “mashed-up” surname instead.
It might sound unusual but it’s a new trend that’s growing so fast it’s overtaking the combination parent surname.
Courtney Cassar and his wife Laura Sheldon admitted when they announced they were giving their daughter a “mashed-up” surname, reactions were mixed.
Some people wondered if it’s legal while others asked: “Are you really going to do that?”
Coming from an upbringing where his two older brothers have Cassar families of their own and one is a Baptist pastor, Mr Cassar was also concerned how his parents would react.
But family and friends have embraced “the start of a new tradition”.
“I like the idea of our daughter having a part of both of us,” Mr Cassar, a 31-year-old teacher at Pennant Hills High School, said.
“With hyphens I find a lot of kids end up choosing one name because it is easier.
“We played around with a few last names and found one that we like and sounds like a last name.”
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Ms Sheldon, 29, Mr Cassar and their one-month-old daughter Lyla Jill Casseldon are joining a growing number of “mash-ups”.
New figures from NSW Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages reveal the number of children with last names that don’t match either parent has increased from 3.8 per cent to 9.4 per cent between 1980 and today.
This unusual practice and other variations on it is proving more popular than hyphenated names, which have gone from 0.7 per cent of kids in 1980 to only 3 per cent today.
The proportion of children who share the same surname as both parents has dropped from 88.4 per cent to 38.2 per cent.
Lorelei Vashti, who wrote the book How To Choose Your Baby’s Last Name, said she has encountered a lot of variety in last names.
“The most popular last name trend I’ve noticed lately is the ‘alternating last name’ option of giving one child one parent’s surname, and then giving a subsequent baby the other parent’s surname,” she said.
“Giving the kids an entirely made-up name (that has no relation to other parent’s last name) is also becoming increasingly popular too.
“There is no one-size-fits-all solution to what I call ‘the baby surname dilemma’.
“Every family will find a different solution that works for them.”
Fatherly names have not been forgotten, however, with the proportion of kids carrying their dad’s name being at 85.5 per cent. This is down from 92.7 per cent in 1980.
Social researcher Mark McCrindle said women today are increasingly likely to keep their surnames officially, for professional reasons, even if they share their husband’s surname socially.
“The downside of this is that in most births today, the children and their mums don’t share a surname,” Mr McCrindle said.
Mr McCrindle believes that while automatically carrying the father’s name may be “patriarchal”, it has persisted partly because many alternatives are impractical.
Originally published as Aussie parents giving their newborns blended last names