I didn't make myself clear....what I should have asked is if godmothers are using their maiden names or married names. Elizabeth V. Cardinal evc1369@comcast.net

Dear Elizabeth, A lot of your questions could be answered if you got a copy of Fel and Hofer's "Proper Peasants." Women did indeed retain their maiden names. It was considered a sign of respect for a husband to continue to refer to his wife by her maiden name. The customs of how godparents were chosen varied from place to place, but in general it was based on a "koma" relationship. That is, two boys who became very close as children would become each other's "koma." This relationship lasted throughout their lives, and one of the most important aspects of it was that they became godparents to each other's children. Their wives would become the godmothers. This custom is not so common today, since people have become so much more mobile. The word itself is considered a bit "countrified" and is usually translated as "best buddy." In the case of my husband's great-grandfather, he and his sister were named as godparents to his "koma," since he was not married yet. Presumably, when he did marry, the task would be taken over by his wife. But that was not to be, as he emigrated to America in 1850 and married an American girl. -----Original Message----- From: Elizabeth V Cardinal [mailto:evc1369@comcast.net] Sent: Friday, November 18, 2005 11:21 AM To: HUNGARY-L@rootsweb.com Subject: RE: [HUNGARY-L] Question on use of Hungarian maiden names I didn't make myself clear....what I should have asked is if godmothers are using their maiden names or married names. Elizabeth V. Cardinal evc1369@comcast.net