Married names

We have a new coach in the area who used to play here. She has since married and goes by a new last name. In an attempt to get people to remember her, my boss insists on hyphenating her name to include her maiden name...I say this is wrong. She doesn't use both names.

But, we can't find anything in the AP Style book. Could the SportsJournalists.com wisepeople help settle this...and point us somewhere where we could find the correct way to do it?

Thank you.

 

You can mention it the first article or two, then you're done.

Or, when you mention her say "Betsy Sue Butler, who starred at Podunk High as Betsy Sue JOhnson, blah blah blah" if he insists on it.

 

So, you're saying it can be hyphenated on the first reference?

God damnit. I hate losing arguments after it turns into a yelling match about accuracy. :'( :-[

 

No. Never hyphenated. You can mention that that's the same person.

Her name is not hyphenated. Calling her that is no different than calling her a completely wrong name.

 

You can also say Betsey Sue Johnson, nee Smith or Betsey Sue Johnson, formerly Betsey Sue Smith. Don't hyphenate it unless that's what she does.

 

My feeling on names is that it is a personal matter and it should be what the person prefers, not what an editor or writer wants to call the person.

 

That's exactly what I'm trying to explain...he's done it that way for "20 damn years!!! blah, blah, blah."

I say it's horribly inaccurate and it turned into a pretty solid yelling match. Do you guys have any idea where I could show him this is wrong...other than on here?

By the way, thank you both all three of you for your responses.

 

Then he's been wrong for 20 damn years. If she doesn't use her maiden name, why should you?

 

That's pretty much the line I used that it turned into a full-out argument that's causing quite an uncomfortable silence right now.

 

Bring him to the next outing and we'll throw him off a tall building to demonstrate that he's full of fail.

Or you could let Stan claw some sense into him.

 

So will he edit in the words "Pac Man" into every mention of Adam Jones?

 

Have you noticed that three of the first four people who replied to you are women, and all three of us say he's wrong? That should tell you something, I think. Someone decides to change my name for me, they can expect to hear about it.

Look at it this way: if you run the hyphenated name, how many people will ask her about it? Not something I'd feel like explaining ad nausaem, if I were her.