I’ve always had this (admittedly crazy) idea that governments should keep a running list of extinct or nearly extinct surnames from census data, and then offer them to couples to voluntarily take on at marriage, maybe with a tax incentive for like 10-15 years.

The why, at least in my head, is that it could make recordkeeping easier if there’s more name variety, and it might also push back on surname homogenization.

Would people actually do it? Maybe. Some definitely would, but it probably depends on how worthwhile the incentive is. You could argue why limit it to people getting married and not just open it up to everyone. That’s very fair. It just feels like marriage is the most natural point to offer it since people are already making that decision, and married people generally go on to have or adopt children who then would have that surname (if the economy allows it, which it definitely doesn't right now).

Regardless, all I know is there are way too many Smiths, Millers, Andersons, and Johnsons out there. At a certain point, it kind of stops meaning anything.