My wife wanted to change her last name when we got married. I said: “No; I don’t own you. This is a stupid tradition.”

We had a deal with naming our first child. If male, he would take my last name. If female, she would take my wife’s last name. The middle name would came from the other’s spouse’s family tree. Because my son’s middle name is not a traditional Christian name, I would wager he has a name that is totally unique in this 7-billion-people planet.

Hyphenated names are ridiculous. Can you imagine if this practice continues for several generations: John Thomas Smith-Jefferson-Black-Jones-Neilson-Ford-Baxton. No way!