From Newsgroup: rec.arts.drwho.moderated   
   From Address: jameskuyper@verizon.net   
   Subject: Re: The PONDS?   
      
   On 04/22/2012 09:25 AM, Tim Burchell wrote:   
   > Is it me, or can somebody explain.....   
   >    
   > If Amy Pond married Rory Williams, then as a couple they would be known as    
   > the William's, i.e. Amy would have taken on Rory's sir name?  BUT everyone   
      
   surname?   
      
   > keeps referring to them collectively as THE PONDS?  WHY??   
      
   You speak as if the traditional handling of married names was the only   
   one currently in use. Nowadays, the wife taking her husband's family   
   name is optional; my wife didn't. Having the husband taking the wife's   
   family name is uncommon, but not unheard of. Some people even do both.   
   Joining the two names into one is clumsy, but unaccountably popular. One   
   option I've heard of is for each partner to take the other partner's   
   family name as their own middle name. The key point is, that whatever   
   approach is used, both partners should agree to accept it. As far as I   
   can tell, Rory has never accepted Amy's family name as his own.   
      
   However, calling this couple "The Ponds" is the Doctor's way of teasing   
   Rory about the dominant role Amy has in their relationship. Rory's not   
   happy about that, but it's been a feature of their relationship for as   
   long as they've known each other, and he's accepted it as part of the   
   cost he pays for the benefit of having Amy as his wife.   
   --    
   James Kuyper   
      
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