'My Ex-Wife Gave Her Newborn My Surname, That's Weird Right?!'

A man, who has been divorced from his ex-wife for four years, was shocked to discover that she’d recently given her newborn baby his surname.

He says he can’t understand why she gave his surname to her new baby daughter, rather than use the baby’s father’s surname.

“I was married to my ex for seven years until we divorced and went our separate ways four years ago,” he explained on reddit.

“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. She recently gave birth to a baby and posted a picture of said child and revealed its name. A friend sent it to me commenting about the surname and asking if I knocked her up.

“Following that four more people directly contacted me either congratulating me or asking for confirmation whether it’s my child or not and my mother says she’s been catching whispers about it too at church. I bumped in to her and her sister in town and obviously congratulated her then asked about the kids’ name.

“She said the name. I asked about the surname and she confirmed that the child’s legal surname is ‘obviously’ xyz (mine) and asked if there was a problem. Now that pissed me off. 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*****g isn’t. Worse the father is apparently in the picture so I don’t know what the f**k is going on there.”

The man says he never had any children with his ex-wife, and can’t understand why she is still clinging onto his surname, particularly as she is in a relationship with her new baby’s father.

“I straight up said that it was f*****g 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. Am I the a**hole?”

Eeek – do you think he has a point? Let us know in the comments below!

60 Comments

- - meedee said
  - 01 Oct 2024
    11:58 am
This happened to me. Well not me as such….. the guy I married. His ex had a relationship with this guy and had a baby girl and gave her my husbands last name. So there is this kid out there with his last name and she has nothing at all to do with him.

- - Zmijka86 said
  - 10 Nov 2022
    8:16 pm
Hmm that is definitely weird

- - Lividanke said
  - 22 Oct 2022
    5:16 pm
It does sound quite strange and I wonder how the baby’s daddy feels about this?

- - ashna9 said
  - 24 Sep 2022
    8:49 pm
Yes that is totally weird. I’m sure you could contest that somewhere legally?

- - mom461384 said
  - 06 Sep 2022
    10:57 am
I can understand.. this does seem rather odd

- - mom487937 said
  - 03 Aug 2022
    10:59 am
I can see both sides. Understandably it’s weird for him, but changing your name is a real run around and she has had it for so long, she probably considers it her name.

- - mom109199 said
  - 02 Aug 2022
    11:19 am
Perhaps she doesn’t see it as his name, after all it is her name too as she didn’t revert back to her previous name. The way I see it is she gave her baby her surname. Perhaps the father is not in the picture so she would rather she and her child have the same surname.

- - mustangsachy said
  - 02 Aug 2022
    10:57 am
This is very strange.

- - rovermum said
  - 01 Aug 2022
    11:24 am
I do think this is very strange for many reasons. I’m surprised her new husband is not offended. And whilst it is a nuisance to change your name, surely you would want to.

- - Danicastefanie said
  - 01 Aug 2022
    8:24 am
If anyone has been divorced, you’d know how much of a pain changing your name back to maiden name is.
She may never want her maiden name back and prefers her old married name.
Yes a little wierd for the child but I understand not changing your name back

- - mom478232 said
  - 31 Jul 2022
    9:29 pm
So weird! How is the child’s father not upset about this!

- - Kiwimum said
  - 31 Jul 2022
    8:26 pm
No that’s not her last name and it’s weird af

- - mom485125 said
  - 31 Jul 2022
    6:55 pm
I understand why the mum did it but it’s still inappropriate and the father of the baby is surely a little offended

- - BellaB said
  - 31 Jul 2022
    6:51 pm
Maybe it wouldn’t sound so strange if it wasn’t such an unique name.

- - ~Loui~ said
  - 31 Jul 2022
    6:35 pm
I can see why she would use the name, so that they both have the same surname, but she could have used her maiden name too.

- - mum1 said
  - 31 Jul 2022
    3:25 pm
Not that weird. It’s her name, too

- - tessie said
  - 31 Jul 2022
    1:02 pm
I think this is wrong what she has done. When they divorced she should have changed her name back to her own. Also her daughter is going to have to live with having the surname of a man who she had nothing to do with. I’m sure the actual father would have liked his daughter to be given his surname, unless it was a one night stand.

- - Mumoftwo said
  - 31 Jul 2022
    9:00 am
I find this really odd, why doesn’t she put bubs name as her maiden name and legally change her name back

- - mom321588 said
  - 31 Jul 2022
    8:25 am
The fact she doesn’t have kids with her EX is why I find it odd. I can only think she loves her ex’s surname (he did say it was unique) and isn’t a fan of her new husband’s surname? It’s all very strange.

- - mom93821 said
  - 31 Jul 2022
    6:22 am
The term ‘knocked up’ is so horrendous!
- mom321588 replied
  
  31 Jul 2022 , 8:20 am
  I couldn’t agree more, horrible term!
  - mom93821 replied
    
    11 Aug 2022 , 4:56 am
    
    Absolutely! The term always makes me cringe!