Why Do Jasper and Rosalie Have a Different Last Name from the Other Cullens in 'Twilight'?

Whether you were a Twihard member of either Team Edward or Team Jacob, or you're now being introduced to the popular film franchise for the first time, many are celebrating the addition of The Twilight Saga on Netflix. The vampire series is based on a set of novels by Stephenie Meyer. All five films — Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn Part 1, and Breaking Dawn Part 2 — are now available to stream widely on the subscription service.

Fans have been reminiscing about the iconic plot points that they had forgotten about, like that baseball scene, and about some of the more unbelievable things that happened (like the fact that a creepy doll was used to play Renesmee Cullen, or that the Cullen siblings were supposed to be high schoolers).

One confusing element that has viewers needing a refresher on the book series is about Rosalie (Nikki Reed) and Jasper (Jackson Rathbone). Though the two characters are part of the Cullen family, and they were adopted by Carlisle (Peter Facinelli) and Esme Cullen (Elizabeth Reaser), their last name is Hale.

Though Rosalie, Jasper, Emmett (Kellan Lutz), Edward (Robert Pattinson), and Alice (Ashley Greene) are all the adopted children of Esme and Carlisle, only the latter three utilize the surname Cullen.

Jasper and Rosalie instead use Hale as their last name, and the two pose as biological siblings (and, sometimes, as twins).

The Hales are not actually related at all, and Jasper's real last name is Whitlock. Rosalie was the only one out of the five vampires taken in by the Cullens who did not change her real name at all.

She was born Rosalie Hale in 1915, and she chose not to alter her given moniker once she became a vampire.

In 1933, Carlisle turned her into a vampire because Rosalie was on the cusp of death. She had been sexually assaulted and brutally injured by her fiancé and a group of his friends, and she would have died if her adoptive father had not interceded.

As readers of the book series will remember, Rosalie is the most resentful of being a vampire because it took away her ability to be a biological mother.

It, therefore, makes sense that Rosalie held onto her original identity the most out of the Cullen siblings. It also explains why she kept the last name Hale.

In both the print and the film version of Twilight, Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) is welcomed by almost all of the various members of the Cullen family when she first meets them.

However, Rosalie is cold towards Bella, she makes mean remarks to her, and she tries to break up her relationship with Edward. This is because she envies Bella for being a human, and for having the ability to one day become a biological mother. When Bella ultimately decides that she wants to become a vampire, Rosalie can't understand why she would give up the benefits of being a human.

Another reason why Rosalie is jealous of Bella is because Edward expressed a romantic interest in the Forks teen. Edward never had feelings for Rosalie, which offended her because of her vanity. Though she's in a happy relationship with Emmett, Rosalie still wants to be the center of attention.

All five movies in The Twilight Saga movie series are available to stream on Netflix.