Actually I always thought this was very weird.  From my impression of
both Genma and Ranma, they are very proud to be Saotomes.  Now
why would Genma agree to have his only son's name change to Tendo?
Did he expect to have more sons?  Was his friendship so great that he
was willing to let Soun give Ranma his lastname?  I don't know but if he
and Soun had agreed that Ranma and Akane's future kids might inherit the 
Tendo name I could understand.  Something like half the kids are Tendos,
the other half Saotomes.  That way both lastnames are preserved.

--Ilsa, OAA and COR

>>From: Ranma8@aol.com
>>Date: Mon, 1 Jul 1996 18:41:34 -0400
>>I think Ranma's name will change to Ranma Saotome not Ranma Tendo.  It's that
>>Akane's name will be Akane Saotome.  It's the female's last name that will
>>change.
>>
>
>the thing is, since ranma's going to be taking over the tendo dojo, it's
>generally preferable for him to take her last name. just a little weird if,
>in thirty or forty years, somebody comes to the tendo dojo, asks for
>tendo-sensei, and finds out that tendo dojo is in fact run by someone named
>saotome, no?
>
>which is why japanese men marrying to inherit their father-in-law's
>business generally take their wife's last name, instead of vice versa. even
>men who don't stand to inherit anything will take the name sometimes, just
>to continue the family name.
>
>used to be that childless or sonless couples would adopt a son especially
>to carry on their name, title, business, whatever. or they'd get their
>daughter to marry a guy who didn't mind changing his name. helped if he had
>brothers to carry on his father's family name, too.
>
>
>
>
>
>