Teknonymy

Edward Tylor on the basis of comparison of data from 282 societies made a correlation of post -marital residence with the custom of avoidance of in-laws.His conclusion was that matrilinealty and matrilocality preceded patrilinealty and patrilocality.He related teknonymy to matriarchal family.In such a family wives were the main authority and husbands were regarded as outsiders.Husbands were not included in primary kin groups and were accepted in secondary kin groups.The husbands were called through the names of their children.Thus a kin became the reference of two kins. The custom of teknonymy is prevalent in several countries including India.

However Lowie did not accept the correlation of teknonymy with matriarchal societies.He said that teknonymy was defined in patriarchal societies also.He believed that teknonymy originated in some societies where women had low status .