In the Name of the Mother: Exploring the Experiences of Individuals with Matrilineal Surnames

Abstract

In the Euro-American cultural context, surnaming norms for children are explicitly gendered: children born to opposite-sex parents typically receive a patrilineal surname, otherwise known as their father’s surname, and matrilineal surnames, or a surname one receives from their mother, represent a deviation from norms. While existing surnaming scholarship tends to favour the views and justifications of parents when it comes to choosing surnames for their children, this MA research explores the question of surnaming children from a new angle by illuminating the experiences of individuals with matrilineal surnames. Based on data collected from semi-structured interviews with 31 individuals who possess matrilineal surnames, I argue that matrilineal surnames are inherently disruptive kinship symbols in the North American cultural context. I show how matrilineal surnames unsettle North American gender relations, problematize cultural standards of stereotypical gendered parental roles, and unseat the sexist perception of the male birthright to nominal immortality.