What's in a name?

Do you think a woman should take her husband's name? This was, if I remember correctly, a pretty intense discussion in my Intro Gender/Women's Studies class.

It seems like a pretty harmless question, but when you think about it, there does seem to be some weight to the answer. Does it mean that you are somehow a man's property if you are taking his name? Are you giving up your individuality? Your identity?

Well, Jezebel has an interesting post about a study by the American Sociological Association that says that 50% of the women they polled think the government should mandate women to take their husbands names, and 70% felt that it was beneficial for women to take their spouse's name.

My question is, if people think families should have one last name, why do men who take their wives' names find it to be so hard? It seems like if it is harder for a husband to take his wife's name, the institution of marriage is linked to a gender, which isn't really a big surprise.

But, does it mean that marriage is linked to a very specific gendered power relationship where women have to have their husbands name because of a subordinate position in the relationship? How are last names linked to power or property? Is it antiquated to look at a woman taking her last name as her losing her independence as a person?
Photo courtesy of www.flickr/chicks57