A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of his or her spouse, this name replaces the person's original family name, which then becomes a maiden name.

The term "maiden name" is rarely applied to the change of family names by men, or by either sex other than in connection with marriage. Nevertheless, the French and English-adopted term "née" ( /ˈneɪ/ or  /ˈniː/; French: [ˈne]), meaning "born as," can be applied to a woman's family name at birth that has been replaced for any reason. The French masculine inflection corresponding to née is "né"; while less readily recognized by non-French-speakers, it is likewise applied to family names changed for any reason.^[1] (The diacritics are sometimes omitted.)

The term "birth name" is sometimes used specifically as a gender-neutral (or male only) substitute for "maiden name", but it is also applied to mean the family name of the mother of a child adopted at birth, and is thus likely to be used with more flexibility than the loan-words née and né, accepting it even when the name being referred to was acquired by adoption (at or long after birth), or made in connection with a change of nationality, or changed in any of the variety of other, rarer circumstances.

Normally, changing one's name requires a legal procedure; however in some jurisdictions anyone who either marries or divorces may change his or her name if he or she wishes. Traditionally in the Anglophone West, only women do so, but sometimes men change their last names upon marriage as well.^[2] In the United States, only seven states allow a man to change his family name after marriage without the formal legal process and associated fees mandated for any name change, which are not required of women.^[2]

Customs relating to maiden names in marriages[link]

In various cultures, traditionally a woman inherits her surname or birth name from her father and changes it to match her husband's surname (which he inherited from his father). This name change custom has been criticized for a number of reasons.^[3][4][5] It can be construed as meaning the woman's father and then husband had control over her, and it means that lines of male descent (patrilineality) are seen as primary—that a child has no inherited name tying him or her to female ancestors (matrilineality).^[4] Moreover, it means that women have no matrilineal surnames of their own, but only "place-markers" indicating their relationship to men.^[4] However, for a further treatment of matrilineal surnames or matrinames, see Matriname.

In the remainder of this article, birth name, family name, surname, married name and maiden name are always patrilineal surnames unless explicitly stated to be matrilineal surnames.

Belgium[link]

In Belgium, a woman must use her birth name for official purposes and will use her birth name for most private purposes too.^{[citation needed]}

Cambodia[link]

Women retain their maiden name after marriage in Cambodia.^{[citation needed]}

Canada[link]

In English Canada, names follow much the same convention as they do in the United States and United Kingdom. The first name on the birth certificate is the name the child is expected to go by, although use of a middle name in everyday life is not uncommon. The last name is typically the last name of one of the parents, or a combination of both names. Middle names are optional and are generally only used on official documentation. Multiple middle names are rare but are officially recognized.^[6]

With the exception of Quebec, Canadian provinces offer spouses a simplified mechanism for changing their last names after marriage. Their marriage certificate is considered proof of their new name.^[7][8]

One of Canada's chief values is multiculturalism. As such it is not uncommon to see names that follow patterns differing from the English and French naming conventions.^{[citation needed]}

Québec[link]

In Québec, however, the custom until 1981 was similar to that in France. Women would traditionally go by their husbands' surname in daily life, but their maiden name remained their legal name.^[9] Since the passage of a 1981 provincial law, intended to promote gender equality as outlined in the Quebec Charter of Rights, no change may be made to a person's name without the authorization of the registrar of civil status or the authorization of the court. Newlyweds who wish to change their names upon marriage must therefore go through the same procedure as those changing their names for other reasons. The registrar of civil status may authorize a name change if: 1) the name the person generally uses does not correspond to the name on their birth certificate, 2) where the name is of foreign origin or too difficult to pronounce or write in its original form, or 3) where the name invites ridicule or has become infamous.^[10] This law does not allow a woman to immediately legally change her name upon marriage, as marriage is not listed among the reasons for a name change.^[11] However, she can use her husband's name socially and may eventually apply to change it under the "general use" clause.

Chinese sphere[link]

Generally, children inherit their father's surnames. Chinese women generally do not change their surnames after marriage. While their legal names are left unmodified, it is not uncommon for them to be addressed in a similar fashion to Western custom as 'Mrs. (husband's family name)'. In Chinese, this is usually written with their husband's surname first, followed by tàitai (太太). During the imperial times, some women assumed their husband's surname, which either replaced the woman's maiden name or was simply prefixed to her original name. However, most notable women during imperial times did not change surnames after marriage, for example, Cai Wenji (蔡文姬), Wu Zetian (Empress, 武則天), Yang Yuhuan (楊玉環), Li Qingzhao (Poet, 李清照).

Additionally, many women did not have personal names and were simply called by their family names suffixed with shi (氏). In this case, the husband's surname is added before the maiden name after marriage. 氏 in older transliterations may be written shee, while the modern official pinyin is shi, fourth tone. Women with personal names may also have been referred to with the title 氏. Mrs. Li-Wu (i.e. Li née Wu) could be addressed Li Wu Shi (李武氏) without mentioning her personal name. This tradition is no longer commonly practiced in Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, or Macau.

In Hong Kong, it is common for women to have their husband's surname prefixed to their original name. For example, Chan Fung Fu-chun (陳馮富珍) (aka Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General) and Legislative Council member Regina Ip (Ip Lau Suk Yee, 葉劉淑儀).

English-speaking world[link]

Use husband's family name[link]

Historically, a woman in England would assume her new husband's family name (or surname) after marriage, and this remains common practice in the United Kingdom today as well as in common law countries and countries where English is spoken, including Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Gibraltar, Falkland Islands, Ireland, India, Philippines, the English-speaking provinces of Canada, and the United States. This remains the most common practice in the United States. In Massachusetts, for instance, a Harvard study found approximately 87% of married college educated women take their husbands name down from a peak before 1975 of over 90% but up from about 80% in 1990. The same study found women with a college degree were "two to four times (depending on age) more likely to retain their surname" relative to those without a college degree.^[12]

In the lowlands of Scotland in the 16th century, married women kept their maiden names, but today the practice of changing to the husband's family name is the norm.^[13]

Usually, the children of these marriages are given their father's surname. Some families have a custom of using the mother's maiden name as a middle name for one of the children—Franklin Delano Roosevelt received his middle name in this way.

Use birth name[link]

Persons who keep their own surname after marriage do so for a number of reasons. Objection to the perceived sexist inequality of the tradition is one major reason;^[4] another is that changing surnames may create an offensive or embarrassing name combination; others simply prefer their own surname to that of their spouse's family; and some people dislike undergoing the difficulties and expenses required in a legal name change. It may also be for ethnic pride, to protect copyrights and patents, or a rejection of the idea of being property of the husband. Many people also keep their name for professional reasons, if a successful career was established before marriage.

For many, the decision whether to keep or change their birth name is a difficult one.^[14] This process is expedited for newly married persons in that their marriage certificate, in combination with identification using their married name, is usually accepted as evidence of the change, due to the widespread custom, but the process still requires approaching every contact who uses the old name and asking them to use the new. Unless the statutes where the marriage occurred specify that a name change may occur at marriage (in which case the marriage certificate indicates the new name), the courts have officially recognized that such a change is a result of the common law right of a person (man, woman, and sometimes child) to change their name. Men, however, encounter more difficulties in changing their last names.^[15] There were some early cases which held that under the common law, a woman was required (in the U.S.) to take her husband's name,^[16] but newer cases overturned those.^[17]

The American suffragist and abolitionist Lucy Stone (1818–1893), made a national issue of the right to keep one's own surname as part of her efforts for women's rights in the U.S. Women who choose not to use their husbands' surnames have been called "Lucy Stoners" ever since.

Persons retaining their birth name after marriage, and their spouses, may encounter difficulties with having people correctly use their name. Many people who know of the marriage will simply assume that the married person has the same surname as his or her spouse and will use that name to introduce and address him or her. Alternatively, people who are aware that a couple has different surnames may not realize that they are married.

Some people retain use of their own surname for particular situations, and use their spouse's surname in others. This is particularly common among people who have a professional career in which advancement depends on work associated with their name, such as an academic career. These people do not want to risk having their pre-marriage work no longer associated with them and may use their birth name as their surname in professional dealings but use their spouse's surname in social contexts. Many people, celebrities in particular, are so associated with their birth name in the public that they continue to use it professionally even if they have changed it legally.

There are many countries where it is customary for people to keep their own names. In Civil Law countries people keep their own names for official purposes, but what name they use for social purposes varies.

Join both names[link]

It is not uncommon for women, especially in the U.S. and Canada, to combine their spouse's name with their own birth name.^[2] (It is increasingly common for men in those countries to do so; although still a rarity, an example can be found as far back as 1901 with Frederick and Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence, who worked for women's suffrage). Which name is placed first reflects personal preference. For example, if "Hannah Kelly Watson" marries "Michael Errick", she might become "Hannah Kelly Watson-Errick" or "Hannah Kelly Errick-Watson". Sometimes both spouses will adopt the joint surname. A hyphenated name would be ordered (in a phonebook or catalog, for instance) under the first letter of whichever name had been placed first.

In some cases, the combined last name is not hyphenated; however both names are considered to be part of the last name (as opposed to either one being a middle name). In the above example, she might become "Hannah Kelly Watson Errick", where "Watson Errick" is the last name, and "Kelly" is the only middle name.

Name blending[link]

Although less common than name joining, a growing trend is the blending of two surnames upon marriage. For example, if "Jane Marie Fordham" marries "John Smith", she might become "Jane Marie Smithford". In virtually all cases of name blending, both spouses will adopt the joint surname, and this name is passed along to their children. By example, Los Angeles, California's mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's surname was Villar until he married Corina Raigosa, at which time they fused surnames, creating Villaraigosa.

Children[link]

Couples who have different surnames make different choices about their children's surname(s). Various alternatives are used, including:

• Most commonly, children are given the surname of one parent, usually the father's.
• Children are given the mother's surname.
• Female children are given the mother's surname, and male children the father's.
• Children are arbitrarily assigned the mother's or father's surname.
• The surname of a neutral third party is assigned to the children.
• Children are given the hyphenated surname consisting of their parents' surnames, in either order.
• Children are given a blended surname, formed from each parent's surname.
• Children can also be given a surname derived from elsewhere in the family tree, such as the maternal or paternal grandmother's maiden name.
• Children are given a surname that reflects a geographical location, such as place of birth.

The hyphenated surname has the advantage of enabling the tracing back of both parental lines. However, it requires the next generation, who have the surnames of all four grandparents, to make a decision about the surname(s) for their own children. One solution some^{[citation needed]}couples have used when both parents had hyphenated last names is for the mother to contribute her mother's name and the father his father's to form a new hyphenated last name for themselves and their children. In Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries, the children receive the surname of both of their grandfathers in this order: first of their paternal grandfather, second of their maternal grandfather, so that in reality, the surnames do always descend from the men in the family and not from the women.

In the United States, some states or areas have laws that restrict what surname a child may have. For example, Tennessee allows a child to be given a surname that does not include that of the father only upon "the concurrent submission of a sworn application to that effect signed by both parents."^[18]

Birth name as middle name[link]

In the United States, a recently married person who changes his or her last name to his or her spouse's last name, often also changes his or her birth name to a middle name. However, in daily life, he or she may choose to use only the first name and new last name. Of women who change their last name at marriage, about 25% informally use their birth surname as a middle name^{[citation needed]}. An example is Hillary Rodham Clinton.^[19] Certain cultures^[which?] do not give females a middle name at birth, with the assumption that she will marry and take her husband's family name, leaving her birth name as the single middle name.

Use as security question[link]

One's mother's maiden name has been a common security question in American banking since at least the 1980s, on the assumption that this name was not common knowledge. Today a wide variety of security questions are used, not only by banks.

France[link]

Since the 1789 Revolution, the law stipulates that "no one may use another name than that given on his birth certificate";^[20] furthermore, the 1946 revision to the Constitution guarantees that "women and men have equal rights", including in the use of their birth name. Upon getting married, a woman keeps her maiden name (nom de jeune fille). She may, under her maiden name, for example, open a bank account, sign checks, obtain a passport, etc. However, marriage grants a married person the right to assume his or her spouse's last name. It is still a common practice for a woman to use her husband's name in this way, despite the fact that no official due process formalizes this usage. The majority of married women use their husband's name for all documents, official or not. The article 264 of the French civil code does, however, stipulate that "upon divorcing both spouses lose the right to use each other's name".

A married person who wishes to formally append a spouse's name to his or her birth name may do so through a simple administrative procedure. In recent years, this trend has gained popularity, especially among upper class women and among women who received a university diploma (MD, PhD) under their maiden name. For example, President Nicolas Sarkozy's wife is called Madame Bruni-Sarkozy, in which "Bruni" is her birth name and "Sarkozy" her husband's name. Some husbands append their wife's last name to their birth name, although this remains rare.

In some cases, it has been noted that the children of famous parents and their spouses decide to have a common hyphenated surname. For example, Marie and Pierre Curie's daughter, Irène, and her chemical engineer husband, Frédéric Joliot, decided to hyphenate their surnames to Joliot-Curie.

From 4 March 2002 to 4 December 2009, children given both parents' names had to have them separated by a double dash (ex: Dupont—Clairemont). On 4 December 2009, the Conseil d'État ruled that a space can be used instead of the double dash. As a result, forms asking for the family name ("nom de famille") does it on 2 lines ("1ère partie: ..... ", "2e partie....")^[21]

Germany[link]

In Germany, the name law has been ruled by sexual equality since 1994: a woman may adopt her husband's surname or a man may adopt his wife's surname. One of them may use a name combined from both surnames. The remaining single name is the "family name" (Ehename), which will be the surname of the children. If a man and woman decide to keep and use their birth names after the wedding (no combined name), they have to declare one of those names the "family name". A combined name is not possible as a family name, but, since 2005, it has been possible to have a double name as a family name if one already had a double name, and the partner adopts that name. Double names then must be hyphenated. All family members must use that double name.^[22][23] To indicate one's birth name, a person appends it with "geb." (short for "geboren(e)" = "born"), e.g. "Anne Lübke geb. Schlüter".

Greece[link]

In Greece people who marry keep their original surnames, unless one petitions a court especially for a surname change (the equivalent of a deed poll). This reverts the traditional practice of a woman assuming her husband's surname, which also became their children's surname, automatically. Nowadays many married women may use their husband's last name socially or informally, but use their paternal surname professionally; all retain their paternal surname legally.

At the time when a married couple's first child is born, they are to declare the newborn's surname, which can be either one of the two parental surnames, or the two surnames together, hyphenated in any order. Subsequent children to the same couple must then use the surname declared for the firstborn. In practice most couples declare the paternal surname for use of their children. A husband's signature on a declaration of a newborn's surname constitutes acknowledgement of paternity. In the absence of such acknowledgement, the newborn assumes the mother's surname automatically.

Hungary[link]

From Hungarian names#Married names

There is a wide range of selection of a married name. In the past (up to about the 18th century) noble women kept their names at marriage and children received their father's name. (Non-nobles rarely had a last name at all as it became compulsory only under the reign of Joseph II.) When Hungary was under Habsburg rule and became influenced by Western European traditions, women became known by their husbands' names, e.g. Szendrey Júlia, marrying Petőfi Sándor, became Petőfi Sándorné (the -né suffix approximately means "wife of", this is the Hungarian equivalent of "Mrs. John Smith"). This was both law and tradition until the 1950s. During the Communist era of Hungary, great emphasis was put upon the equality of women and men, and, from that time, women could choose to keep their birth names or take that of their husbands in the aforementioned form. Still, most women took their husbands' names; most of the exceptions were artists.^{[citation needed]}

Currently, the alternatives for a woman when she marries are the following (using the example of Szendrey Júlia and Petőfi Sándor – Júlia and Sándor are their given names, respectively):

• Júlia can keep her birth name Szendrey Júlia (now very popular, especially among more educated women)
• Júlia gives up her name, adds the suffix -né to her husband's full name, and will be called Petőfi Sándorné (rare among young brides)
• Júlia adds the suffix -né to her husband's family name, adds her full name and will be called Petőfiné Szendrey Júlia
• Júlia adds the suffix -né to her husband's full name, adds her full name and will be called Petőfi Sándorné Szendrey Júlia (not very popular these days, because it is long to write it down)
• Júlia takes her husband's family name, keeps her given name and will be called Petőfi Júlia (the Western custom – somewhat rare)

Since January 1, 2004, there is one more possibility: the hyphenation of names; also, now men can take their wives' surname too, since the law which gave this opportunity only to women was declared sexist and thus unconstitutional. (Men still have fewer alternatives to choose from, though.) Thus Júlia can become either Petőfi-Szendrey Júlia or Szendrey-Petőfi Júlia while Sándor either keeps his own name or hyphenates in either order. Sándor can also become Petőfi-Szendrey Sándor, Szendrey-Petőfi Sándor or Szendrey Sándor, while Júlia either keeps her name or hyphenates, but changing names to each other's names (e.g. Petőfi Sándor and Szendrey Júlia become Szendrey Sándor and Petőfi Júlia) is not allowed.

The law that one can have a maximum of two last names still applies; if one or both of the partners already have a hyphenated name, they have to choose a maximum of two names or keep their birth names.

Both the bride and the bridegroom has to declare before the wedding which name they will use and which surname their children will get (this can be changed up until the birth of their first child). Children can get either parent's surname if that parent kept her or his surname in the marriage, but children born in the same marriage must have the same surname. Since 2004 they can also get a hyphenated name, but only if both parents kept their birth names at least as a part of their new name (e.g. if they kept their own names, or if one or both of them have hyphenated). Currently children usually get their father's surname; hyphenating names is a rising trend.

The marriage of same-sex partners is not allowed in Hungary, so they cannot legally use each other's names, unless going through the formal name change process.

Iceland[link]

Icelandic names adhere to the old patronymic system (a child receives a parent's—usually the father's—first name in the genitive with -son or -dóttir appended). An Icelandic woman customarily retains her maiden name upon marrying, because regardless of whom she marries she remains her father's daughter.

India[link]

Indian women usually adopt the husband's surname or family-name as their own. In some communities of northern India a woman takes her husband's given name as a middle name after marriage, and adopts his surname as her new surname. In some parts of south India, a woman adopts her husband's first name instead of his family name after marriage, while in others, she will keep her birth name for the whole of her life. In Andhra Pradesh, a woman adopts her husband's surname as her own. In some orthodox families, a new bride might change her full name to one her in-laws prefer.

Several Hindu communities in Kerala, the most notable being Nairs, are matrilineal, and in these groups the woman keeps her name even after marriage.Furthermore, her children will take her family name, rather than their father's. In Kerala, amongst Muslims(Mopilas), the husband's name and surname are added to the wife's name. In example, if Jameela Khader Elongavan marries Habeeb Syed Pokakilath, she would change her name to Jameela Habeeb Pokakilath. One notable exception is the Tamil Muslim community where women continue to use their maiden names after marriage, as the concept of surname is non-existent; this also serves as a precaution against discrimination of converts based on their pre-Islamic caste identities.

Christians generally follow the Western customs. Hindu women normally keep their birth names, but in the new generation, adding the husband's name is also observed. In some communities^{[citation needed]}, the bride's first name is also changed after marriage. In these cases, the family she's married into selects the first name. This practice is quite rare today.

For many of an Indian woman's official documents, the husband's name or father's name has to be mentioned as a legal guardian (e.g. applying for a passport, bank account, etc.). This is irrespective of whether the woman is considered a minor or an adult.

In the state of Meghalaya, the practice of changing names after marriage is not prevalent at all. Everyone is known by the birth name for life. The birth first name is the name the parents choose for their child and the last name is, by default, the mother's last name.

Italy[link]

In Italy since 1975 a woman legally keeps her birth name. Only in informal situations, she may add her husband's name to the end of her name linked with the word in, nei/nel (less common) or cg./cgt., shortened forms of coniugata, married (very uncommon): for example, if Alessandra Lombardi marries Michele Rossi she can then use the form Alessandra Lombardi in Rossi or Alessandra Lombardi nei Rossi or even Alessandra Lombardi cg. Rossi.

In a small number of cases it is possible that the wife can add just the husband's name without the in addition (Alessandra Lombardi Rossi). Only in rare cases is a woman informally referred to with just her husband's surname (Alessandra Rossi). Sometimes, she can be referred to with her husband's surname, followed by nata, born, and then by her surname (Alessandra Rossi nata Lombardi).

When the husband dies, in the same informal cases in can be replaced by ved., abbreviation of vedova, widow; Alessandra Lombardi ved. Rossi, Alessandra Lombardi ved. in Rossi, Alessandra Lombardi vedova Rossi or Alessandra Lombardi vedova in Rossi.

Iran[link]

Most Iranians do not change their names upon marriage, although the Iranian women may be called 'Mrs. (husband's family name)' in daily life.

Japan[link]

In Japan, marriage law requires that married couples share a surname because they must belong to the same koseki (household). Although it is customary for the wife to join her husband's family and thus take his surname, the husband may instead join his wife's family and take her surname. The latter is customary if the wife's family have no son, particularly if her lineage has some significance, in which case the husband is considered an "adopted son-in-law" – he has joined the family in order to continue the lineage; this practice is known as 婿養子 (mukoyōshi). Eldest sons are more likely to keep their family names than younger sons. Though uncommon, foreign men who marry Japanese women may choose to join their wife's koseki and take her surname. An example of this is Koizumi Yakumo, (born Lafcadio Hearn), a Greek-born Irishman who took his Japanese wife's name. (Non-Japanese citizens are listed only on a person's koseki to verify marriage. Name changes are not recorded and the foreign citizen is listed as spouse but not as part of the family registration. Foreign citizens have a separate registration system, and cannot establish their own koseki unless they take Japanese citizenship). The foreign citizen is governed by his/her own country's laws.)

In the Japanese language, it is common to avoid second and third person pronouns and instead refer to persons in conversation by their surname plus a title such as san, which indicate the relative rank, profession, or gender of the person but not his or her marriage status. Many women who have well-established careers or circles of friends may wish to continue to be referred to by their maiden name after they marry in order to maintain continuity at work or among their acquaintances. However, this is an informal practice not recognized by law, and a wife and husband may not use variant surnames in official settings. (It is possible to establish the maiden name, or another variant name, as a legal alias, which can then be used officially.) Although women's rights groups have attempted to introduce legislation that would allow married couples to maintain individual surnames, a practice which in Japanese is referred to as fūfu bessei (夫婦別姓, lit. "husband and wife, different-surname"^?), such legislation has not yet been enacted.

Korea[link]

Korean women do not change their names upon marriage. By given name alone, a woman cannot be identified as someone's wife. Neither are they addressed in a fashion similar to 'Mrs. (Husband's family name)'. They are usually addressed solely by their family name; however, it is more specifically 'wife of (husband's family name)' or '(child's name)'s mom', when the relation has to be known. Women emigrating to cultures where it is customary to take on their husband's names may choose not to change, especially if they are professionals. However, using the same concept as Chinese and Taiwanese women, they may let themselves be addressed as 'Mrs. (husband's family name)'. Similarly, it is not uncommon for them to be called 'Dr. (her maiden name)'.

Islamic-majority countries[link]

Arabic-speaking countries[link]

In Arabic-speaking countries, women keep their full birth and family names and do not change their family names to their husbands'.

Malaysia[link]

It is traditional that Malay women keep their maiden name. As of the 1951 处女 Act, men can take the surname of their wives. Once the man is committed to his wife's surname it is considered inadequate to divorce her.

Netherlands[link]

In the Netherlands, persons who have been married or entered into a registered partnership will remain registered under their birth name. They are, however, permitted to use their partner's last name for social purposes or join both names. Upon marriage or registered partnership, one may also indicate how they would like to be addressed through the registration of their choice in the Municipal Basis Administration (Gemeentelijke Basis Administratie) (although their birth name does not change). One may choose to be called by one's own name, one's partner's name, one's own name followed by one's partner's name (hyphenated) or one's partner's name followed by their own name (hyphenated). Both men and women may make this choice upon registering to get married or entering into a registered partnership. Upon the end of the marriage or registered partnership, one person may continue to use their ex-partner's last surname unless the ex-partner disagrees and requests the court to forbid the use of the ex-partner's surname.^[24]

Prior to the birth or adoption of a first child, married parents may choose by which surname the child will go (mother's or father's but not both). If no choice is made, the child automatically obtains the father's surname. Any further children will also go by this name. If the parents of the child are not married, the children will automatically obtain their mother's name unless otherwise indicated.^[25]

Philippines[link]

Christians (as well as certain Muslims, Chinese Filipinos, and others) in the Philippines have traditionally followed naming patterns practiced throughout the Spanish-speaking world; i.e., the practice of having the father's surname followed by the mother's surname; the two being connected by the particle "y", which means "and" (ex. Juan Agbayani y López). However, this practice changed when the Philippines became a United States colony in the early half of the 20th century. The order was reversed to the conventional American form "Given name - Middle name - Surname", which in this case is actually "Given name - Mother's maiden surname - Father's surname" (i.e. Juan López Agbayani or simply Juan L. Agbayani). The particle "y" was also dropped.

Currently, the middle name is usually, though not always, the mother's maiden name, which is followed by the father's surname. This is the opposite of what is done in Spanish-speaking countries and is similar to the way surnames are done in Portugal and Brazil.

When a woman marries, she usually adopts the surname of her husband and uses her father's surname (her maiden surname) as her middle name, dropping her mother's maiden name (her former middle name). When a woman whose full maiden name is María Santos Cojuangco (where her mother's maiden surname is "Santos", and her father's is "Cojuangco") marries a man by the name of Juan López Agbayani, her full name would become María Cojuangco Agbayani. For the sake of brevity, she would be usually known at the very least as María Agbayani; her maiden name is usually not mentioned or it may simply be abbreviated as an initial (i.e. Maria C. Agbayani). In many cases, her maiden name may be mentioned. Consequently, her children will have Cojuangco as a middle name. (ex. their child, Rafael Dominic, will have a full name of Rafael Dominic Cojuangco Agbayani or Rafael Dominic C. Agbayani). Up until the middle of the 20th century, it was common for married Filipino women to insert the particle "de" ("of") in between the maiden surname and husband's surname (as in María Cojuangco de Agbayani or Maria C. de Agbayani), another common Spanish naming custom. However, this practice is no longer common.

Married Filipino women who are professionals may choose to hyphenate their surnames (i.e. María Cojuangco-Agbayani, instead of simply María Agbayani or María C. Agbayani), at least in professional use, and use it socially even if legal documents follow the above naming pattern.

Poland[link]

In contemporary Polish only names that are valid adjectives (e.g. Silny - Strong, Śliski - Slippery) or sound like an adjective (e.g. Skłodowski, Mącki) have feminine versions, according to behavior of real adjectives. If a masculine surname ends in -i or -y, its feminine equivalent ends in -a. Therefore women would be identified as Silna, Śliska, Skłodowska, Mącka, in examples above. This is the default and most often used approach, however woman can elect to use masculine version. The -owa (spelled -ova) suffix for other types of names is not used in official language but remains recognized and sometimes appears in informal or humorous context. Originally it was reserved to married name. Historically -ówna suffix was used to denote maiden name.

According to the law, upon marrying the couple chooses names for husband, wife and (future) children. Any of those three can be groom's, bride's or double-barrelled combination of both (tripple-barreled names are not possible). Most often the bride forgoes her name and adopts her husband's.

Portuguese-speaking world[link]

In general, the traditions followed in countries like Brazil, Portugal and Angola are almost similar to the ones of Spain. The Spanish tradition, usually the father's surname comes first, followed by the mother's surname, whereas in Portuguese speaking countries the father's name is the last, mother's coming first. A woman may adopt her husband's surname(s), but nevertheless she usually keeps her birth names, or at last the last one. Since 1977, a husband can also adopt his wife's surname. When this happens, usually both spouses change their name after marriage.

The custom of a woman changing her name upon marriage is recent. It spread in the late 19th century in the upper classes, under French influence, and in the 20th century, particularly during the 1930s and 1940, it became socially almost obligatory. Nowadays, fewer women adopt, even officially, their husbands' names, and among those who do so officially, it is quite common not to use it either in their professional or informal life.^{[citation needed]}

Until the end of the nineteenth century it was common for women, especially those from a very poor background, not to have a surname and so to be known only by her first name. She would then adopt her husband's full surname after marriage. With the advent of republicanism in Brazil and Portugal, along with the institution of civil registries, all children now have surnames..

For the children, some bear only the last surnames of the parents. For example, Carlos da Silva Gonçalves and Ana Luísa de Albuquerque Pereira (Gonçalves) (in case she adopted her husband's name after marriage) would have a child named Lucas Pereira Gonçalves. However, the child may have any other combination of the parents' surnames, according to euphony, social significance or other reasons.

Russia and some Slavic countries[link]

During the wedding, the young couple has to declare what surname they are going to use. Both have the option to keep their original surnames or to adopt the other one's surname. Most often the bride adopts her husband's surname in its feminine version. In most Slavic languages there are two ways to create the feminine surname version. For masculine surnames ending in "-ov", "-ev", and "in", the feminine form is produced by adding "-a" (for example: Kumkov → Kumkova, Ivanov → Ivanova, Lashkonov → Lashkonova, Dostonev → Dostoneva, Nikolayev → Nikolayeva, Porokastev → Porokasteva, Galkin → Galkina, Lapin → Lapina). For masculine surnames ending in "-y" or "-oy", the feminine version is produced by changing it to "-aya" (for example: Stronsky → Stronskaya, Voronskoy → Voronskaya, Putanesky → Putaneskaya). With some surnames, the root of the husband's name may be slightly modified - e.g. Havel's wife will become Havlová, or the husband's surname may be shortened before adding the suffix, especially when the surname ends in a vowel, so Čábela's wife will be Čábelová.

Some surnames do not change and do not follow any grammatical rules at all, as for example the names in Ukrainian and Polish ending with "-ko", or in Serbian the surnames ending with "-ić". Bondarenko's wife will remain Bondarenko, and Milošević will remain Milošević. In Czech these are the surnames ending with "-u" or "-í". Martinů's wife will remain Martinů and Kočí's wife will be Kočí.

In fact, in most cases the wife and the husband never have identical surnames, which sometimes creates translation problems into most western languages. While Putin's wife is Putina, it is normal to refer to the couple as "Mr and Mrs Putin", or "the Putins". On the other hand, the surname makes clear whether the person is a man or a woman. Another case in point is Anna Karenina. Karenina was her own surname, and her husband's was Karenin. Because the novel is principally about her, her surname has traditionally been used in the translation of the title. Recent editions, however, have rendered it as Anna Karenin.

Usually, female surnames of foreign origin are not modified. One exception is the Slovak Republic, where modification of foreign female surnames is required by language laws. For instance, Nicole Kidman would become Nicole Kidmanová in Slovak. This practice is also common in the Czech Republic. More recently, this controversial regulation is being abandoned, as many celebrities with a surname of foreign origin are using it in original form.

Spanish-speaking world[link]

In Spain and in most Spanish-speaking countries, the practice is for people to have two surnames. Usually, the first surname comes from the father and the second from the mother but it could be the other way round. A child's first surname will usually be their father's first surname whilst the child's second surname will usually be the mother's first surname. For example, if Señor Smith Adams and Señora Jones Roberts had a child named Paul, then his full name would be Paul Smith Jones. One family member's relationship to another's can often be identified by the various combinations and permutations of surnames.

In Spain, especially Catalonia, the paternal and maternal surnames are often combined using y (Spanish) or i (in Catalan), see for example the economist Xavier Sala-i-Martin or painter Salvador Dalí i Domènech.

In Spain, a woman does not change her legal surnames when she marries. In some Spanish-speaking countries (those in Latin America), a woman marrying a man may drop her mother's surname and add her husband's surname to her father's surname using the "de" (of) preposition. For example, if "Clara Reyes Alba" were to marry "Alberto Gómez Rodriguez", the wife could use "Clara Reyes de Gómez" as her name (or "Clara Reyes Gómez", or, rarely, "Clara Gómez Reyes". She can be addressed as Sra. de Gómez corresponding to "Mrs Gómez"). In some countries, this form may be mainly social and not an official name change, i.e., legally, her name would still be her birth name. This custom of adding the husband's surname is slowly fading.

Any children a couple have together take both surnames, so if the couple above had two children named "Andrés" and "Ana", then their names would be "Andrés Gómez Reyes" and "Ana Gómez Reyes". In Spain, a 1995 reform in the law allows the parents to choose whether the father's or the mother's surname goes first, although this order must be the same for all their children. For instance, the name of the son of the couple in the example above could be settled whether "Andrés Gómez Reyes" or "Andrés Reyes Gómez".^[26] Sometimes, for single mothers or when the father would or could not recognize the child, the mother's surname has been used twice: for example, "Ana Reyes Reyes". In Spain, however, children with just one parent receive both surnames of that parent, although the order may also be changed. In 1973 in Chile, the law was changed to avoid stigmatizing illegitimate children with the maternal surname repeated.

It should be noted that some Hispanic people, after leaving their country, drop their maternal surname (even if not formally), so as to better fit into the non-Hispanic society they live or work in. Dropping the paternal surname is not so unusual when it is a very common one. For instance, painter Pablo Ruiz Picasso and Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero are known by their maternal surnames as "Picasso" and "Zapatero". Similarly, Anglophones who have only one last name may be asked to provide a second last name on official documents in Spanish-speaking countries. When none (such as the mother's maiden name) is provided, the last name may simply be repeated.

In some churches, such as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where the family structure is emphasized, as well as legal marriage, the wife is referred to as "hermana" [sister] plus the surname of her husband. And most records of the church follow that structure as well.

A new trend in the United States for Hispanics is to hyphenate their father's and mother's last names. This is done because American born English-speakers are not aware of the Hispanic custom of using two last names and thus mistake the first last name of the individual for a middle name. In doing so they would, for example, mistakenly refer to Esteban Alvarez Cobos as Esteban A. Cobos. Such confusion can be particularly troublesome in official matters. To avoid such mistakes, Esteban Alvarez Cobos, would become Esteban Alvarez-Cobos, to clarify that both are last names.

Argentina[link]

In Argentina, women use their husband's last name after "de". There are some province offices where a married woman can use only her birth name, and some others where she has to use the complete name, for legal purposes. The Argentine Civilian Code states both uses are correct, but police offices and passports are issued with the complete name.

When Eva Duarte married Juan Domingo Perón, she could be addressed as Eva Duarte de Perón, but the preferred style was Eva Perón, or the familiar and affectionate Evita (little Eva).

Combined names come from old traditional families and are considered one last name, but are rare. This is due to the fact that although Argentina is a Spanish speaking country, it is also composed of other varied European influences, such as Italian, French, Russian, German, etc.

Children typically use their fathers' last names only. Some state offices have started to use both last names, in the traditional father then mother order, to reduce the risk of a person being mistaken for others using the same name combinations, e.g. if Eva Duarte and Juan Perón had a child named Juan, he might be misidentified if he were called Juan Perón, but not if he was known as Juan Perón Duarte.

In early 2008, some new legislation is under consideration that will place the mother's last name ahead the father's last name, as it is done in Portuguese-speaking countries and only optionally in Spain, despite Argentina being a Spanish-speaking country.

Chile[link]

In Chile, marriage has no effect at all on either of the spouses' names, so people keep their birth names for all their life, no matter how many times marital status, theirs or that of their parents, may change. However, in some circles, it is still customary for a wife to use her husband's name as reference, as in "Doña María Inés de Ramirez" (literally Lady Maria Ines (wife of) Ramirez).

Children will always bear the surname of the father followed by that of the mother, but if there is no known father and the mother is single, the Children can bear either both of her mother's surnames or the mother's first surname followed by any of the surnames of the mother's parents or grandparents, or the child may bear the mother's first surname twice in a row.

Sweden[link]

Only since the beginning of the 20th century has it been common in Scandinavia for women to take their husband's last name.^{[citation needed]} However, since the women's liberation movement in the 1970s, more women have chosen to keep their original name as had been the custom for centuries. Many women who change their name either take their husband's name as a "middle name" and use their maiden name as their surname, or keep their maiden name as a middle name and use their husband's surname as a new surname.^[27] The reason for adding a middle name is that a person cannot have two surnames in the official registries. There is a perception that well-educated women with a career do this more often since they may have acquired a good reputation in professional circles by their maiden name before they get married, which would be in difficulty if they changed their name.

The most common Swedish surnames end with "-sson", which means "son of" in English. Until recently, surnames ending with "-sdotter" ("daughter of" in English) were not so common, but recent legislation allows any daughter to take either parent's name and add "-sdotter" as a surname. A daughter of Sven can thus take the name "Svensdotter" meaning "daughter of Sven". The same rules apply to sons, who can take the name "Svensson" meaning "son of Sven", or (very uncommon so far but allowed) their mother's name ending with "-sson", like "Mariasson" if their mother's name is Maria. This is very similar to the system used in Iceland but applied to a greater extent. However, very few people take surnames like this in Sweden. Most people use the traditional structure.^{[citation needed]}

Sri Lanka[link]

In Sri Lanka majority follows the British system of adopting husband's surname and if wife wishes, she can keep her father's surname as the maiden name. Depending on the preference a lady can use either only her husbands surname as her surname or a combination of her maiden name and husband's surname as a part of her fullname. E.g. President Chandrika Bandaranayke Kumarathunge was Chandrika Bandaranayake before her marriage, and later she used the fullname Chandrika Bandaranayake Kumarathunge.

Thailand[link]

In Thai law, before 2005, a woman was required to take her husband's surname. The new rule in 2005 (2548 BE) has allowed Thai married couples to:

• Have no surname changes
• Use the husband's surname
• Use the wife's surname
• Swap surnames between husband and wife (very rare)

A Thai wife that adopted her husband's surname due to the old law requiring it, can also change back to use her original surname.^[28]

Other[link]

A less common, but growing, alternative is for the married couple to create a new non-hyphenated name. This name may be a combination of letters from both surnames, it may be a name found on distant branches of both family trees, or it may be a new name altogether. This allows any children to have the same name and is equal in that both parties must give up their original surnames. One example of this is Los Angeles, California, USA mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Born Antonio Villar, upon marrying wife Corina Raigosa, fused their surnames into the present Villaraigosa.

One possible criticism against this practice is that it makes families harder to trace via genealogy, though a counter-argument would be that it makes the mother's genealogical information easier to trace. In many countries a legal record must be filed to make this name change, which increases the level of complexity.^[29][30]

Same-sex marriages[link]

Public and legal acknowledgment of same-sex marriage is well established in some regions, though still uncommon due to its illegality in most regions. Trends in the nuptial naming practices associated with same-sex marriage are various and in flux. LGBT people may make such decisions on an individual basis. In some civil law jurisdictions like the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, same-sex spouses or registered partners have the same legal options as heterosexual spouses to acquire, or—in the case of the Netherlands—use, the other partner's surname. In anglophone Canada, married same-sex couples have the same naming and renaming rights as married opposite-sex couples.

Legal status of name changes at marriage[link]

Laws respecting married names vary. In areas whose legal systems derive from the English common law—such as most parts of the USA, Canada, and the UK—a name change usually does not require much legal action, because a person can choose to be known by any name (except with intent to defraud). Married persons who take their spouse's name must get a new driver's license and National Insurance or Social Security card, etc., and inform the company they work for, etc. However, the legal process for a name change due to marriage is, in many jurisdictions, still simpler and faster than for other kinds of name change. In many jurisdictions whose legal systems derive from the civil law—such as France, Spain, Belgium, the Canadian province of Quebec, and the U.S. state of Louisiana—however, the default position is for a woman's "legal name" to remain the same throughout life: Citizens there who wish to change their names legally must usually apply to do so via a formal procedure.

In 2007, Michael Buday and Diana Bijon enlisted the American Civil Liberties Union and filed a discrimination lawsuit against the state of California. According to ACLU, the obstacles facing a husband who wishes to adopt his wife's last name violate the equal protection clause provided by the 14th Amendment of the Constitution.^[31] At the time of the lawsuit, only the states of Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Massachusetts, New York and North Dakota explicitly allow a man to change his name through marriage with the same ease as a woman. As a result of the lawsuit, a California state lawmaker introduced a bill to put a space on the marriage license for either spouse to change names.^[15]

Feminism and preserving one's personal name[link]

Jane Grant, of the United States, wrote in 1943 of her efforts to keep her name despite her marriage, as well as other women's experiences with military service, passports, voting, and business. She and others formed the Lucy Stone League, named for Lucy Stone, who had earlier won her fight to keep her name. "We [in the League] . . . made ourselves generally troublesome", with legal cases, mass meetings, signing into hotels openly, and going to Washington, D.C.^[32]

Genealogy[link]

Most genealogists prefer to refer to a mother by her maiden name when they are constructing a pedigree, whether in chart form such as a family tree or in some written form.^{[citation needed]} This convention is used because it is a concise way of presenting genealogical information. Thus they would write (or show on a pedigree chart) a child as e.g. the son of John Smith and Mary Brown.

See also[link]

References[link]

La Fouine
Background information
Birth name	Laouni Mouhid
Born	(1981-12-25) 25 December 1981 (age 30) Trappes, Yvelines, France
Genres	Hip-Hop Gangsta rap R&B
Occupations	Rkkr/Singer
Years active	1996–present
Labels	Sony Music France Banlieue Sale Music
Associated acts	Amel Bent
Website	Official site

Laouni Mouhid, commonly known by his alias La Fouine (English: The Weasel) or Fouiskin (born December 25, 1981 in Trappes, Yvelines), is a French rapper of Moroccan origins from the city of Trappes, Yvelines in the Paris western suburbs. He is an established figure in French rap. La Fouine signed with Sony Records in 2003 and released his debut album, Bourré au son, in 2005. La Fouine released his second album, Aller-Retour, on March 12, 2007. The American beatmaker Focus produced four songs on the album. His most recent album, Mes Repères, was released on February 23, 2009 and is two times gold record in France. His new album, a double CD intitled "La Fouine Vs Laouni," released on February 14 for Valentine's Day, was inspired by the two sides of himself, through his career and experience of his daily life. The first one, La Fouine, a character he created to "entertain people, La Fouine is very cunning, materialistic, bad boy and so vulgar ... it's not really me" said the artist. The second one Laouni (his real name) talks about things he lived in his youth, so his rap is sincere and moving. The week of album's release, more than 25 621 copies were sold in France, a feat for a hip hop artist. He has also his own label "Banlieue Sale Music" and his own clothing line called "Street Swagg".

Discography[link]

• 2004: Planète Trappes Vol.2

(mixtape)

• 2005: Bourré au son
• 2006: Planète Trappes Vol.2 (mixtape)
• 2007: Aller-Retour
• 2008: Capitale Du Crime (mixtape)
• 2009: Mes Repères
• 2010: Capitale Du Crime Vol.2 (mixtape)
• 2011: La Fouine vs. Laouni
• 2011: Capitale Du Crime Vol.3 (mixtape)

Appearances[link]

La Fouine in Besançon in 2011

2000

• La Fouine : Ma génération in Rap.com compilation

2001

• La Fouine Feat MC Circulaire : Façon Fouiskin 2002 *La Fouine : Freestyle in Violences Urbaines mixtape
• La Fouine Feat Alibi Montana - C'est Pour Les Mecs D'en Bas in Mandat de dépot compilation

2003

• La Fouine : Staarflah la famille in Talents Fachés compilation
• La Fouine : Mon autobiographie in Mala, Ma zone mixtape

2005

• La Fouine : C'est pour les mecs d'en bas in West Rider 2 compilation
• La Fouine Feat Willy Denzei : My life
• La Fouine Feat Pat Seb - Let's shake the towels

2006

• La Fouine : Il en faut in Talents Fachés 3 compilation
• La Fouine Feat Jazz Malone : Non-Stop in Panam All Stars compilation
• La Fouine : Les barreaux in Phonographe compilation
• La Fouine Feat Chabodo : Levez haut les drapeaux
• La Fouine Feat. 2g68 : Koma Etilik 2007
• Manu Key Feat La Fouine : Responsable in Manu Key's album, Prolifique Vol.2
• Al Peco feat La Fouine - Apparitions
• Phil G Unit Feat La Fouine : Talents Gachés
• La Toxine Feat La Fouine : J'ai de l'amour pour mes cailles *Matchstick Feat La Fouine : Dignity in Shock Therapy album
• La Fouine Feat S.Kro & Mc Gam'1 - Luxembourg City

2008

• La Fouine : J'repense aux frères in Big Ballers vol.2 compilation *Grodash Feat La Fouine - Tenter sa chance sur le Street CD de Grodash, La vie de rêve
• La Fouine : Respect aux mothers Fouiskin Feat. Phil G
• La Fouine : Très agile, elle niche dans les greniers ou les dépendances Feat Willy Denzei

2009 *La Fouine : "Tous les mêmes" et "Du ferme" in "Mes repères"

• La Fouine : Played the role of "Ali K" in the movie District B13 Ultimatum

2010

• La Fouine "Krav Maga" et "Banlieue Sale" dans "Capitale Du Crime 2"

2010

• La Fouine Ft. The Game - "Caillera For Life"

Videography[link]

• 2004 : "Banlieue Ouest" feat. VF Gang
• 2005 : "Mon autobiographie"
• 2005 : "l'unité" feat. Jmi-sissoko
• 2005 : "Quelque chose de special" feat. Eilijah
• 2006 : "Etat des lieux"
• 2007 : "Reste en chien" feat. Booba
• 2007 : "Qui peut me stopper"
• 2007 : "Banlieue Sale" feat. Gued'1 et Kennedy
• 2007 : "On s'en bat les c******s"
• 2007 : "Responsable" feat. Manu Key
• 2008 : "Tombé pour elle" feat. Amel Bent
• 2008 : "Cherche la monnaie"
• 2008 : "Dignity" avec Matchstick
• 2008 : "Ca fait mal Remix" feat. Soprano & Sefyu
• 2008 : "Tous les memes"
• 2009 : "Du ferme"
• 2009 : "Moi hamdulah cava" feat. Canardo* 2009 : "Krav maga"
• 2009 : "Banlieue Sale Music" feat. Nessbeal* 2009 : "Krav maga Remix" feat. Canardo, Gued'1, Green, MLC
• 2010 : "Nés pour Briller" feat. Canardo, Green, MLC
• 2010 : "Mauvais Oeil" feat. Green
• 2010 : "Viser la victoire" feat. Admiral T & Médine
• 2010 : "Passe leur le salam" feat. Rohff
• 2010 : "Caillra for life" feat. Game
• 2011 : "Veni, Vidi, Vici"
• 2011 : "Nhar Sheitan Click"
• 2011 : "Papa"
• 2011 : "D'où L'on Vient"
• 2011 : "Toute la night"
• 2011 : "VNTM.com" feat. DJ Khaled
• 2011 : "Vécu" feat. Kamelancien
• 2011 : "J'arrive en balle" feat. Fababy
• 2011 : "Ben Laden"
• 2011 : "C'est bien de..." feat. Fababy
• 2011 : "C'est ça le thème"
• 2011 : "Rollin' Like A Boss" La Fouine featuring T-Pain & Mackenson

External links[link]

• La Fouine's official website
• La Fouine sur Inc'Rock Festival vidéo

Édith Piaf
Background information
Birth name	Édith Giovanna Gassion
Also known as	La Môme Piaf (The Kid Sparrow)
Born	(1915-12-19)19 December 1915 Belleville, Paris, France
Died	11 October 1963(1963-10-11) (aged 47) Plascassier, France
Genres	Cabaret Torch songs Chanson
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, actress
Instruments	Voice
Years active	1935–1963
Labels	Pathé Records, Pathé-Marconi

Édith Piaf (US /piːˈɑːf/ or UK /ˈpiːæf/; French: [eˈdit pjaf]; 19 December 1915 – 11 October 1963), born Édith Giovanna Gassion, was a French singer and cultural icon who became widely regarded as France's national popular singer, as well as being one of France's greatest international stars.^[1] Her singing reflected her life, with her specialty being ballads. Among her songs are "La Vie en rose" (1946), "Non, je ne regrette rien" (1960), "Hymne à l'amour" (1949), "Milord" (1959), "La Foule" (1957), "l'Accordéoniste" (1955), and "Padam... Padam..." (1951).

Early life[link]

Despite numerous biographies, much of Piaf's life is shrouded in mystery.^[2] She was born Édith Giovanna Gassion^[3] in Belleville, Paris. Legend has it that she was born on the pavement of Rue de Belleville 72, but her birth certificate cites the Hôpital Tenon,^[4] the hospital for the 20th arrondissement of which Belleville is part.

She was named Édith after the World War I British nurse Edith Cavell, who was executed for helping French soldiers escape from German captivity.^[5] Piaf—an argot colloquialism for "sparrow"—was a nickname she would receive 20 years later.

Her mother, Annetta Giovanna Maillard (1895–1945), was of French descent on her father's side and of Italian and Berber origin on her mother's.^[6][7] She was a native of Livorno, a port city on the western edge of Tuscany, Italy. She worked as a café singer under the name Line Marsa.^[4]

Louis-Alphonse Gassion (1881–1944), Édith's father, was a Norman street acrobat^[8] with a past in the theatre. Édith's parents soon abandoned her, and she lived for a short time with her maternal grandmother, Emma (Aïcha) Saïd ben Mohammed (1876–1930). Before he enlisted with the French Army in 1916 to fight in World War I, her father took her to his mother, who ran a brothel in Normandy. There, prostitutes helped look after Piaf.^[1]

From the age of three to seven, Piaf was allegedly blind as a result of keratitis. According to one of her biographies,^{[citation needed]} she recovered her sight after her grandmother's prostitutes pooled money to send her on a pilgrimage honoring Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, which the author claims resulted in a miraculous healing.^{[citation needed]}

In 1929, at 14, she joined her father in his acrobatic street performances all over France, where she first sang in public.^[1]

She took a room at Grand Hôtel de Clermont (18 rue Veron, Paris 18ème) and separated from him, going her own way as a street singer in Pigalle, Ménilmontant, and the Paris suburbs (cf. the song "Elle fréquentait la Rue Pigalle").

She joined her friend Simone Berteaut ("Mômone")^[4] in this endeavor, and the two became lifelong partners in mischief.^[1] She was about 16 when she fell in love with Louis Dupont, a delivery boy.^[1]

At 17, she had her only child, a girl named Marcelle, who died of meningitis at age two.^[8] Like her mother, Piaf found it difficult to care for a child while living a life of the streets, so she often left Marcelle behind while she was away, and Dupont raised her until her death.^[1]

Singing career[link]

In 1935 Piaf was discovered in the Pigalle area of Paris^[1] by nightclub owner Louis Leplée,^[3] whose club Le Gerny off the Champs-Élysées^[8] was frequented by the upper and lower classes alike. He persuaded her to sing despite her extreme nervousness, which, combined with her height of only 142 centimetres (4 ft 8 in),^[4][9] inspired him to give her the nickname that would stay with her for the rest of her life and serve as her stage name, La Môme Piaf^[3] (Parigot translatable as "The Waif Sparrow", "The Little Sparrow", or "Kid Sparrow").^[1] Leplée taught her the basics of stage presence and told her to wear a black dress, later to become her trademark apparel.^[1] Leplée ran an intense publicity campaign leading up to her opening night, attracting the presence of many celebrities, including actor Maurice Chevalier.^[1] Her nightclub gigs led to her first two records produced that same year,^[9] with one of them penned by Marguerite Monnot, a collaborator throughout Piaf's life.^[1]

On 6 April 1936,^[1] Leplée was murdered and Piaf was questioned and accused as an accessory, but was acquitted.^[3] Leplée had been killed by mobsters with previous ties to Piaf.^[10] A barrage of negative media attention^[4] now threatened her career.^[1] To rehabilitate her image, she recruited Raymond Asso, with whom she would become romantically involved. He changed her stage name to "Édith Piaf", barred undesirable acquaintances from seeing her, and commissioned Monnot to write songs that reflected or alluded to Piaf's previous life on the streets.^[1]

In 1940, Édith co-starred in Jean Cocteau's successful one-act play Le Bel Indifférent.^[1] She began forming friendships with prominent people, including Chevalier and poet Jacques Borgeat. She wrote the lyrics of many of her songs and collaborated with composers on the tunes. In 1944, she discovered Yves Montand in Paris, made him part of her act, and became his mentor^[4] and lover.^[10] Within a year, he became one of the most famous singers in France, and she broke off their relationship when he had become almost as popular as she was.^[1]

During this time she was in great demand and very successful in Paris^[3] as France's most popular entertainer.^[9] After the war, she became known internationally,^[3] touring Europe, the United States, and South America. In Paris, she gave Atahualpa Yupanqui (Héctor Roberto Chavero)—the most important Argentine musician of folklore—the opportunity to share the scene, making his debut in July 1950. She helped launch the career of Charles Aznavour in the early 1950s, taking him on tour with her in France and the United States and recording some of his songs.^[1] At first she met with little success with U.S. audiences, who regarded her as downcast.^[1] After a glowing review by a prominent New York critic, however, her popularity grew,^[1] to the point where she eventually appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show eight times and at Carnegie Hall twice (1956^[8] and 1957).

Édith Piaf's signature song "La vie en rose"^[1] was written in 1945 and was voted a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1998.

Bruno Coquatrix's famous Paris Olympia music hall is where Piaf achieved lasting fame, giving several series of concerts at the hall, the most famous venue in Paris,^[4] between January 1955 and October 1962. Excerpts from five of these concerts (1955, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1962) were issued on record and CD and have never been out of print. The 1961 concerts, promised by Piaf in an effort to save the venue from bankruptcy, debuted her song "Non, je ne regrette rien".^[4] In April 1963, Piaf recorded her last song, "L'homme de Berlin".

World War II[link]

During World War II, she was a frequent performer at German Forces social gatherings in occupied France, and many considered her a traitor; following the war she stated that she had been working for the French Resistance. While there is no evidence of this, it does seem to be true that she was instrumental in helping a number of individuals (including at least one Jew) escape Nazi persecution. Throughout it all, she remained a national and international favorite.^[11] Piaf dated a Jewish pianist during this time and co-wrote a subtle protest song with Monnot.^[1] According to one story, singing for high-ranking Germans at the One Two Two Club^[12] earned Piaf the right to pose for photographs with French prisoners of war, to boost their morale. The Frenchmen were supposedly able to cut out their photos and use them as forged passport photos.^[12]

Personal life[link]

The love of Piaf's life,^[3] the married boxer Marcel Cerdan, died in a plane crash in October 1949, while flying from Paris to New York City to meet her. Cerdan's Air France flight, flown on a Lockheed Constellation, crashed in the Azores, killing everyone on board, including noted violinist Ginette Neveu.^[13] Piaf and Cerdan's affair made international headlines,^[4] as Cerdan was the former middleweight world champion and a legend in France in his own right.

In 1951, Piaf was seriously injured in a car crash along with Charles Aznavour, breaking her arm and two ribs, and thereafter had serious difficulties arising from morphine and alcohol addictions.^[1] Two more near fatal car crashes exacerbated the situation.^[8] Jacques Pills, a singer, took her into rehabilitation on three different occasions to no avail.^[1]

Piaf married Jacques Pills in 1952 (her matron of honour was Marlene Dietrich) and divorced him in 1956. In 1962, she wed Théo Sarapo (Theophanis Lamboukas), a Greek hairdresser-turned-singer and actor^[1] who was 20 years her junior. The couple sang together in some of her last engagements.^[1]

Death and legacy[link]

Piaf's grave in Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris

Piaf died of liver cancer at age 47 at her villa in Plascassier, on the French Riviera, on 11 October 1963.^[14][15][16] She had been drifting in and out of consciousness for several months.^[8] Her last words were "Every damn fool thing you do in this life, you pay for."^[17] It is said that Sarapo drove her body back to Paris secretly so that fans would think she had died in her hometown.^[1][12] She is buried in Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris next to her daughter Marcelle, where her grave is among the most visited.^[1]

Although she was denied a funeral mass by the Roman Catholic archbishop of Paris because of her lifestyle,^[12] her funeral procession drew tens of thousands^[1] of mourners onto the streets of Paris and the ceremony at the cemetery was attended by more than 100,000 fans.^[12][18] Charles Aznavour recalled that Piaf's funeral procession was the only time since the end of World War II that he saw Parisian traffic come to a complete stop.^[12]

In Paris, a two-room museum is dedicated to her, the Musée Édith Piaf^[12][19] (5 rue Crespin du Gast).

In popular culture[link]

Bust of Piaf in Kielce, Poland

Numerous songs by Piaf are used in films (such as Saving Private Ryan, Inception and The Dreamers (film)) and other media. Singers have paid tribute to her by covering her songs. Piaf's name can still be found in popular culture and music today. Her life has been the subject of multiple films and plays:

Films of her life[link]

The film Piaf (1974) depicted her early years, and starred Brigitte Ariel, with early Piaf songs performed by Betty Mars.

Piaf's relationship with Cerdan was also depicted in film by Claude Lelouch in the movie Édith et Marcel (1983), with Marcel Cerdan Jr. in the role of his father and Évelyne Bouix portraying Piaf.

Piaf...Her Story...Her Songs (2003) is a film starring Raquel Bitton in her performance tribute to Édith Piaf. Bitton performs Piaf's most famous songs and describes her tempestuous life. Woven into the filmed concert is a luncheon in Paris, hosted by Bitton, in which some of Piaf's composers, friends, lovers, and family share their memories. These include Michel Rivgauche and Francis Lai, two of Piaf's composers, as well as Marcel Cerdan, Jr., son of the boxing champion who was her greatest love.

La Vie en rose (2007), a film about her life directed by Olivier Dahan, debuted at the Berlin Film Festival in February 2007. Titled La Môme in France, the film stars Marion Cotillard in the role that won her the Academy Award for Best Actress (Oscar), as Piaf. Dahan's film follows Piaf's life from early childhood to her death in 1963. David Bret's 1988 biography, Piaf, A Passionate Life, was re-released by JR Books to coincide with the film's release.

Plays[link]

• Piaf (1978), by Pam Gems
• Piaf Piaf (1988), by Juha Siltanen and Jorma Uotinen
• The Sparrow and the Birdman By Raquel Bitton (1999) Commissioned by Theatreworks
• Edith and Simone (2000 and 2006), by Ronny Verheyen
• PIAF..Her story..Her songs" By Raquel Bitton (2000)
• Hearts..Le Ballet des Coeurs By Raquel Bitton (1985) Choreography Michael Smuin,Set Designs Tony Walton,Costumes Willa Kim
• Pure Piaf (2006), by Alex Ryer
• No Regrets (2009), by Scotti Sween (Off-Off-Broadway)
• Piaf de Musical (1999 and 2009), a Dutch musical
• Piaf, het legendarische verhaal van Edith Piaf(2009), by Yves Caspar
• Edith Piaf, alive and living in New York(2011), by Floanne Ankah
• "The Sparrow and the Mouse: Creating the Music of Edith Piaf" (2011) By Melanie Gall
• "Tonight...Piaf" (1989), by Joelle Rabu and Ted Galay, Directed by Ray Michal
• "Piaf, her Songs, Her Loves" City Stage, Vancouver 1978, Directed by Ray Michal

Songs[link]

Filmography[link]

• La garçonne (1936), Jean de Limur
• Montmartre-sur-Seine (1941), Georges Lacombe
• Étoile sans lumière (1946), Marcel Blistène
• Neuf garçons, un cœur (1947), Georges Freedland
• Si Versailles m'était conté (1954), Sacha Guitry
• French Cancan (1954), Jean Renoir
• Música de Siempre (1958), sang La vida en rosa, the Spanish version of "La Vie en rose".
• Les Amants de demain (1959), Marcel Blistène

Theatre credit[link]

• Le Bel Indifférent (1940), Jean Cocteau

Discography[link]

The following titles are compilations of Édith Piaf's songs, and not reissues of the titles released while Édith Piaf was active.

• The Voice of the Sparrow: The Very Best of Édith Piaf, original release date: June 1991
• Édith Piaf: 30th Anniversaire, original release date: 5 April 1994
• Édith Piaf: Her Greatest Recordings 1935–1943, original release date: 15 July 1995
• The Early Years: 1938–1945, Vol. 3, original release date: 15 October 1996
• Hymn to Love: All Her Greatest Songs in English, original release date: 4 November 1996
• Gold Collection, original release date: 9 January 1998
• The Rare Piaf 1950–1962 (28 April 1998)
• La Vie en rose, original release date: 26 January 1999
• Montmartre Sur Seine (soundtrack import), original release date: 19 September 2000
• Éternelle: The Best Of (29 January 2002)
• Love and Passion (boxed set), original release date: 8 April 2002
• The Very Best of Édith Piaf (import), original release date: 29 October 2002
• 75 Chansons (Box set/import), original release date: 22 September 2005
• 48 Titres Originaux (import), (09/01/2006)
• Édith Piaf: L'Intégrale/Complete 20 CD/413 Chansons, original release date: 27 February 2007

There are in excess of 80 albums of Édith Piaf's songs available on online music stores.

Édith Piaf on DVD[link]

• Édith Piaf – A Passionate Life (24 May 2004)
• Édith Piaf : Eternal Hymn (Éternelle, l'hymne à la môme, Non-US Format, Pal, Region 2, import)
• Piaf – Her Story, Her Songs (June 2006)
• Piaf: La Môme (2007)
• La Vie en rose (biopic, 2008)
• Édith Piaf – The Perfect Concert and Piaf The Documentary (February 2009)

Books on Édith Piaf[link]

• The Wheel of Fortune: The Autobiography of Édith Piaf by Édith Piaf (originally written in 1958, 5 years before her death), Peter Owen Publishers; ISBN 0-7206-1228-4
• Édith Piaf, by Édith Piaf and Simone Berteaut, published January 1982; ISBN 2-904106-01-4
• Berteaut, Simone; Boulanger, G. (translator) (1958). Robert Laffont. ed (in French, translated into English). Au bal de la chance (1965 (translation) ed.). Paris: Penguin. ISBN 978-0-14-003669-5.  memoirs, written by stepsister
• The Piaf Legend, by David Bret, Robson Books,1988.
• Piaf: A Passionate Life, by David Bret, Robson Books, 1998, revised JR Books, 2007
• "The Sparrow – Edith Piaf," chapter in Singers & The Song (pp. 23–43), by Gene Lees, Oxford University Press, 1987, insightful critique of Piaf's biography and music.
• Marlene, My Friend, by David Bret, Robson Books, 1993. Dietrich dedicates a whole chapter to her friendship with Piaf.
• Oh! Père Lachaise, by Jim Yates, Édition d'Amèlie 2007, ISBN 978-0-9555836-0-5. Piaf and Oscar Wilde meet in a pink-tinted Parisian Purgatory.
• No Regrets: The Life of Edith Piaf, by Carolyn Burke, Alfred A. Knopf 2011, ISBN 978-0-307-26801-3. An in-depth and insightful look at Piaf's life.

See also[link]

• Music of France
• French popular music

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Édith Piaf

• Newsreel on Edith Piaf's Life
• Édith Piaf at the Internet Movie Database
• Edith Piaf's songs
• Genealogy of Edith Piaf, Généalogie magazine, n° 233, pp. 30–36
• Edith Piaf and her Paris