Just had a discussion with a friend about deciding which last name to record on a birth certificate. Now, I always assumed that if the parents had different last names, the mother could put either last name on the birth certificate. True.

Then my friend said, "You can put any last name you want. It doesn't have to be either the mother's or father's last name." Well. I told her I didn't think that could be true.

I looked at our state dept. of health website, and this is what I found:
CHILD’S NAME: The mother has the legal responsibility for naming the child. It may be any name you choose. You can easily change the child’s first or middle name during the first six months. The baby’s last name does not have to match the name of either the mother or father. Once the birth certificate has been filed, changing the child’s last name will require an order from the Probate Court.

Why in the world would somebody want to give a child a last name that wasn't either his/her mother's or father's last name? If I read the regulation right, you could do that. Has anybody heard of that actually happening?