Hyphenated Names

Q. My question centers around a Catholic couple, now divorced, who are having a strong disagreement as to what should be the last name of their two children. The father is adamant that the children's surname should remain the same (i.e., his own), while the mother has filed court papers to have the children's last name be changed to a hyphenated one (i.e., her own maiden name followed by the father's last name).
My question is whether the Catholic Church would be opposed to their having a hyphenated last name. Does the church have a fixed position on this? (Alexandria, Virginia)
A. I am not aware of any church teaching on the use of hyphenated last names, nor do I believe that one exists. The question of what name a woman will use after marriage, it seems to me, is cultural rather than religious.
In some places in Latin America, for example, it is customary for a married woman to retain her family's name as well as that of her husband. Even in other cultures in Western Europe, it has not been unusual for a married woman to keep her family's name, particularly when that name would be more recognized in the area where they intend to live.
In my own state of New York, the marriage license itself provides a space for a woman to indicate by what name she wishes to be known after marriage.
Interestingly, research in America shows that, from the mid-1970s onward, there was a rise in the number of college-educated women keeping their surname (corresponding to a rise in feminism as well as an increase in the number of women who had an established professional career before being married.)
In the 1990s however, that trend slowed, and subsequent studies show that women in the United States are largely choosing to take their spouse's last name.
In the case to which you refer, it is unfortunate that the choice of the children's last name has created such acrimony, since that can only hurt the children. Perhaps the couple should see a counselor about working out a solution more amicably. (Also, I do not know the ages of the children, but if they have reached the age of reason, they probably should be consulted on this, since they will be the carriers of whatever name is chosen.)

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Questions may be sent to Father Kenneth Doyle at askfatherdoyle@gmail.com and 40 Hopewell St. Albany, N.Y. 12208.