Man Telling Ex It's Weird To Give Her Child His Last Name Sparks Debate

The internet is torn over a man who told his ex-wife that it's "f**king weird" that she gave her newborn child his last name.

Published to Reddit's popular r/AmITheA**hole forum, a man under the username u/TheCallipygianDuck posted his story in order to get the opinions of the "AITA" community to determine if he was in the wrong. The viral post has over 6,000 upvotes and 3,000 comments.

"I was married to my ex for 7 years until we divorced and went our separate ways 4 years ago," the original poster (OP) began, "After the divorce she kept my surname. I didn't necessarily like it because it felt like she was still attaching herself to my family but I could understand the practical reasons enough not to let it bother me."

Recently, she gave birth to a baby and posted a picture online along with her daughter's full name. Many people reached out to the OP to congratulate him, thinking the baby was his. One friend messaged him asking if he "knocked her up."

While in town, the OP ran into his ex and her sister. He congratulated her on her new child. When he asked about the name, she confirmed that the child has his last name. When she asked if there was a problem, he snapped.

The OP wrote, "My surname is very unique especially in the area since my family is not originally from her so when people hear the surname they naturally think of my family and assume that this is my kid and it f**king isn't. Worse the father is apparently in the picture so I don't know what the f**k is going on there.

"I straight up said that it was f**king weird that she's giving her newborn the surname of the man she's divorced from who isn't in any way linked to the kid and sounds almost obsessive. She said she gave her daughter her surname as the mother and not mine," he concluded.

Newsweek reached out to u/TheCallipygianDuck for comment.

Are you recently got divorced and want to change your name back to your maiden name? According to newlynamed.com, use these steps.

1. You need your divorce decree.
2. Look for proof of your former name.
3. Let the Social Security Administration know of your name change: for this step, you will need proof of identity, citizenship, divorce decree and social security card.
4. Visit the DMV to get a new driver's license or state ID card (you will also need documents stated in step three, as well as proof of residency).
5. Other important documents to change include your passport, voter registration, banks, credit cards, mortgage and insurance.
6. Let the USPS know about your name change.
7. Tell your employer of your name change.

Debate sparked in the comments.

U/opinionreservoir wrote, receiving the top comment with over 10,000 upvotes, "[No a**holes here]. I know I'm going to get downvoted but it IS f**king weird. And it's weird that some people here think you were wrong for stating your opinion when asked. Depending on your local culture and even personality really depends if the F bomb was unnecessarily rude, but I'm going to say it's not. I can see her argument that it's her last name now too... But that's mildly weird as well. It would have been an ideal time for her to get around to changing her last name also."

"[No a**holes here]. It's understandable that you are annoyed that people will assume the child is yours/related to you. But it is her legal name and therefore it makes sense to give it to her child," u/Just_the_doctor1988 said.

"[You're the a**hole]. Why do people think it's so easy for a woman to change her last name back and forth whenever a man is in (or out) of the picture? She took your name when she married you; I'm guessing you would've thought it weird if she HADN'T taken your last name. Well it's hers now, too—and she wants her baby to have her last name. You think she should've given the baby the dad's last name...I guess she learned from you that men don't always stick around," u/claireclairey admitted.

U/SnazzySusieQ commented, "[Not the a**hole]. It is weird, especially considering the father is in the picture."