A házassági névviselés gyakorlata a 21. századi Magyarországon

Abstract

This study presents a survey about motivations and tendencies in the choice of married names in Hungary conducted in 2017. Informants were married women between the age of twenty and forty, who were married after the last regulation of married names passed in 2004. All the seven possible official name types are listed and studied: A) the three traditional name types (with the -né suffix); B) the two-surname versions based on compromise: double-barrelled names with the two birth names; C) the two unusual or non-typical married names such as the woman’s birth name or the woman’s first name with the husband’s family name. The paper illustrates how identity factors can influence the choice of a certain name type. The traditional name types, the two-name versions based onn compromise, and unusual or non-typical names all have a different effect, because they express the individuality and the marital status of the married woman in different ways. The study presents the different opinions and interpretations of the married informants about the motivations of their name choice. This socio-onomastic research proves that the most popular married names contain the woman’s birth name in some form as an expression of their individuality while also reflecting their changed marital status.