'Custom officers may think he's a child trafficker': Redditor asks if taking mother's surname will lead to problems

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Redditor asks if taking mother’s surname will cause problems for children

A woman recently took to the askSingapore subreddit to get users’ thoughts on children inheriting their mothers’ surnames, as well as any complications that may arise.

Any potential problems if kids take their mother's surname?
byu/milkteaboo inaskSingapore

The OP explained that her husband has a “very common” surname — (Tan 陈) — while she has an “uncommon” one — (Wei 魏).

Noting that the OP’s surname was “quite rare”, the couple wanted their children to inherit her surname.

Couple having second thoughts about letting children take on mother’s surname

Even though the couple was initially keen on letting their child take on the wife’s surname, they are having “second thoughts” as more concerns creep in.

For instance, they were worried about their children running into admin problems as teachers or doctors might have doubts about their biological father’s ties with them.

The couple were also worried that customs officers might mistake the father as a “child trafficker” due to their different surnames.

The OP also brought up the possibility of their children getting discriminated against as others might assume they are from a single-parent family.

Children in Singapore should take on father’s surname

In most countries, it is the norm for children to inherit their father’s last name. That is also the case here in Singapore.

According to the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, a child’s surname must follow that of their father’s.

Exceptions to this are when children are born outside a marriage, or when the father is dead or missing. In such situations, children may take on their mother’s surname.

Netizens share thoughts and advice on issue

The OP’s predicament caught the attention of Redditors, who shared their thoughts in the thread’s comment section.

This user, who grew up in a single-parent household and took on their mother’s surname, said they did not face any discrimination growing up.

Source: Reddit

One Redditor claimed he took his wife’s Chinese surname while keeping his English surname just so his daughter could inherit it.

Source: Reddit

Others said that they do not understand the tradition of taking the father’s last name when women are the ones who suffer from the pain of pregnancy.

Source: Reddit

Redditors address OP’s concerns

Some Redditors gave advice that directly addressed the OP’s concerns.

In response to the OP’s first two concerns, this Redditor said they had friends who converted their last names to dialect and had no issues going through immigration.

Source: Reddit

Another Redditor assured the OP that schools have a list of parents’ names they can refer to when parents are picking up their child. Relevant details can also be found on Singpass.