Why Do We Need Last Name/family Name In Today's World?

I agree with @viki123 's point.

However, in today's world, I believe in the corporate culture this last name is very helpful.

In my office, I share my first name with 12 people, so when people have to email me, they are confused who to send it to. I usually ask them to type in the first few letters of my last name and do a ctrl+K ... a lot easier!

Saves a lot of trouble for me as well when mailing clients...phew!

 

Where I'm from dad / husband's name becomes the surname. There's no family name - used to be the name of care but that's beendropped many decades ago

 

I guess we need a lastname so that one yellowmango can be distinguished from the other yellowmango in the class,office,neighborhood.
Why it has to be the father's or husband's name is a valid question...why not some random last name like Yellomango 007.

 

tagging along a bond goes and there is the real bond

 

so people don't get into the hyper mode and get creative like this!

 

What I understand that the origin of surname (family name, last name) seems to be from the perceived need for differentiated identity or superior identity, apart from individual identity by a name for all (first name, given name), started by aristocratic and ruling classes. Later it is expanded to include occupational identity (Smith, Chetti), regional (place of birth), caste (countless) etc. Learning more on this, perhaps a head spinning exercise.

Today, like it or not, all the legal system and most of the transactions include both the name, therefore you cant do away with that. You need to have surname/last name to fill the form, except reserving bus/train ticket perhaps.

I think there are different practices across the world. In countries like Spain, Chile, the child has two surname, each one from father and mother. If I am correct, in France, one can give new surname derived from father and mother, so the name you fond of is possible. There is good chance for surname derived only from mother, in some part of the world. Also, men from lower class married to women from higher social class, actually take the surname from his wife family, either by choice or force, as it is linked to social status. So, you have full freedom for surname of your liking, as long as you have the patient and energy to pass through all the legal process.

In order to have equality between men and women, and to avoid all these confusions, I propose to give unique identification number for everyone in this globe, odd numbers for men, even numbers for women. But then, please don't ask why not odd number of women? It is only a pinky-ponky choice, no discrimination.

 

I think depending on matriarchy or patriarchy surname is derived. Also most of Latin America has both surnames. That is why they have long long names

 

In today's world ....... for passport.

As far as I know, most of the tamilians never had family name or surname till two decades back. IT culture has changed them to have surname. Am not sure about other region people.

 

Coz it's easier to recognize anushka Sharma, Anushka shetty; Amala Paul and Amala Akkineni; Nargis dutt and Nargis fakhri and so on when their names are taken along with the surname

 

I heard an interesting story for this, I could not verify though. There was consistent drive by socialist and anti-caste groups like Justice party, to put only father's initial and do away adding caste driven surname. But the end result is, most Tamilian added father's initial at the start and tagged caste identity at the end. Current generation is reinventing surname as you said. I am one of those, my given name has two parts, the second part that starts with S, I have added to all in my family.