Why do married couples always take the husband's last name?

It is usually tradition. A long time ago, back when Catholic and Christian religions were most dominant in our society, women were considered inferior to men. It was custom that women joined the mans family upon marriage and took their name because they belonged to their man. Men were the head of the household, the bread winners, and they owned all underneath them (including their wives). Even though it is not a common practice today to "own" your wife, it is still a tradition that is deeply set in Catholic and Christian religions and is only done because it's just "what you do."

There are some cases were the man will take his wife's last name, or the women hyphenates her name, or even sometimes they combine their names to form a new one, just so each side has equal parts.

I hope this helped! :]

so ex boyfriends cant find her in the phone book.

Basically i think its because... they had to take something for a name. Two last names is not common in western culture.

And since marriage in the west is a christian enterprise where most europeans are married in a church... females had to take the mans last name because, like the bible says, men are the head of the family. The head of the household. The bible puts men in the head. So it only seemed logical back in the olden days that the woman would take the last name of the husband because that is the guy god put in charge of the christian household.

It was just logical based on the bible.

Today the rules are more relaxed but I would be really offended if a girl rejected my last name.

"two last names" hyphenated is annoying for people to say so I would think that option is silly to take. Why put them thru the torture of having to utter two word last names?

Personal choice. Some couples decide not to, even if they are married. There's no law saying the wife has to take the last night of the husband, but I wager that it's tradition for most people.

It is usually a tradition so when the children are born they carry on the name of the husband when he passes away. Many women now days are hyphenating the two last names together. The maiden name first then a hyphen and then the last name. I.E. Sanders-Willson (an example) That allows the wife to use either last name. I had to ask my supervisor out of curiosity why she did her last name that way.

It is called, "respect". It is respectful for a man to ask a women's hand in marriage and out of love & respect a women should carry the man's last name. It is tradition.

Because society has made it to be that way. It is a social construction.

actually i knew a guy who took his wife's last name. this doctor of philosophy from Sarajevo, quite sweet guy as far as Sarajevan pretentious jazz fest committee crew goes....he had two last names and used both and a friend of mine told me he took his wifes last name when they married and she kept hers....i thought it was some kind of symbolic gesture of rebellion against conformity, so i thought it was cool, until i met his wife....she was this cold callous mean spirited shrew that when she spoke you could feel poison spew out....he was obviously in some sort of SM marriage and he got off at her humiliating him in bed and also listening to Sarajevan Neanderthals whispering that dude took his wife's name, can you imagine....anyway...legally it is possible for any spouse to take the other spouses name, to keep their own, or take both.....i can't wait to ditch this enemy name i am wearing and take my real last name, which in a really sexy east African language means good omen, good news or good sign....so in biblical terms by marrying Lucifer i will be MRS Gospel, hihihi

It's tradition.

It is just tradition. It doesn't have to be done legally.