Would a child born to an unwed mother keep his mother's maiden or that of his st

Question:

Would a child born to an unwed mother keep his mother's maiden or that of his stepfather?

In this case the mother married and the stepfather did not adopt him. Would that child keep the mother's maiden name?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I'm assuming that the mother's maiden name was the name on the child's birth certificate. If the child was not adopted AND there was no legal name change, then the child's legal name would be whatever his/her birth certificate said.

In my experience, I used my stepfather's name even though I was not adopted up until I was 18. Then in order to get a job and all, I had to use my legal name (my father's name) on documents, so I began using my legal name.

I got a little long winded there, so let me try and be more clear: he would still have his old last name unless there was a legal name change to use his stepfather's name.

Hope that helps. :)