What do you think of double barreled names?

Question

For example

Anna-Maye?

Jaiden-James?

Or for last names... James-Davidson?

I have noticed a lot of people have double first names on answers and I am considering it for my children but I am deffo not 100% sure about it yet.

Do people actually call them by both names or just one... and what one? lol.

Anyone have any thoughts on this? Or anyone have these double barreled names?

Answer 1

Most people will tend to go by initails for the first name

example:  Jaiden James= J.J.

Answer 2

Think of the Olsen twins (sorry) - but Mary-Kate has always been known as Mary-Kate, not just Mary or just Kate.  But double barrel name gives the option of using one or the other if need be - in case the name isn't liked or if it's too common or something.  

Double last names are perfectly fine in my opinion, and they often both get used, but rarely but sometimes the last one gets dropped.

Answer 3

I like it for a Surname, but not under any circumstances for a first name, its chav tastic

Answer 4

I always think they're a bit pointless. The child will lose the second name at school because kids shorten names. It also makes the name harder to learn for your child. I know a couple of people with double barreled names and in every case they introduce themselves by the first name, all their accounts and cards in the first name and two don't even like the second name and refuse to acknowledge it.

Answer 5

Hi, my son has a double barrelled surname because when i had him his father and I was not married so it saved on arguments to have both surnames.

It works for some people and not others. I found alot of people dont aggree with a child having both mothers maiden name and the fathers surname but i thinkits up to the individual.  

Answer 6

Don't like them but I can not see why it makes any difference. In UK a person can call themselves whatever they wish unless the intention is fraud. Watch out it may be our last freedom the way this bunch we jokingly refer to as a government are going    

Answer 7

It's a bit chavvy isn't it? I reckon it's good for surnames, particularly if parents aren't married and mother wants baby to have her name too...

ps. Davidson-James has a better ring than James-Davidson.

Answer 8

i know an Ann-Marie, and a Carrie-Anne.  we all call ann-marie by her full name but carrie is always called carrie, so i suppose it depends on the flow of the name.  there's nothing wrong with double barrelled names as long as they are kept simple.

Answer 9

I used to work with kids at MyGym and one of the little girls was Sally Kate and I thought it was cute. My niece is Taya Beth but she goes by both or Taya. I say go for it cause you can always shorten it to one name later kids usually end up calling each other by nick names anyway.

btw, i like the Jaiden James but I wouldn't hyphenate it.

Answer 10

don't do it. it sounds very redneck

Answer 11

I really don't like it. It makes the name seen drawn out. Everyone just calls them by the first name of the two anyway, so I don't think people should bother.

Answer 12

Hyphens suck. Usually the second name gets dropped anyway. My dad wanted to name me Anna-Clara instead of Anna Clara [clara as my middle name]. But my mom won, and I'm gald. Just use what you wanted as a middle name, don't hyphen it. It will just get dropped. And for the last names, I wanted to name my kids Cannon-Turkel, after my partner's last name, then mine, but I realized everyone at school and everywhere would just drop the Turkel and call them Cannon, so I figured it would be a waste.

Well I hope that helped. Good Luck.

Answer 13

Hyphens are the bane of data entry, especially for government computers. Major mix ups occur in surnames which often means data is lost.

For first names, I think it looks silly and pretentious. Very few people will bother with the 2nd half so you might as well skip the hyphen and just use the 2nd name as a middle name.

Answer 14

I personally like short double barreled names. I'm naming my daughter Isla-Mai.

I also have a double barreled name but i hate it. My full name is Abigail-Charlotte. I think it's too much of a mouth full  

Answer 15

Personally I don't mind double barreled first or last names, but it strikes me as majorly odd as to why people feel the need to double barrel middle names.

For instance Lily Amy-Rose Smith

Just weird....

Answer 16

my friends name is emily-ann and i never knew Emily-ann was her first name ppl just dont used hyphd names

Answer 17

I've never really seem the need, it just seems like double the effort.

They will end up just being called by the first name so it just gets in the way when filling out forms etc

Answer 18

A double barreled first name is Chavvy, sorry.

Answer 19

My daughter has a double barelled name, but we actually only ever use the first one- which is a shame because I love the complete name, but its just not practical to use it for everyday use.

Answer 20

I have known several:

Mary - Julia

Ruth - Ann

John - David

Amber - Jane

They have all thought that two first names suck.

Two last on the other hand, especially if it is the mothers and fathers name is really kinda cool.

Good Luck!

Answer 21

I don't mind them, but I think that they have to flow well together to work. Anna-Maye goes really well together, but even though Jaiden-James works, I feel that aliteration isn't that good either. and if their double barrell at the end of surnames it could be possible that his father has a really long surname, or that the parents have combined their last two names together.

Hope this helps,

Vxxx

Answer 22

In first names i think you have to be careful it doesn't sound common......... Jaden-James i think does -

And in surnames I think you have to be careful it doesn't sound pretentious.... like that posh chef guy hugh fernley something or other. Not good

Fine line really I think.............

Answer 23

Having 2 forenames gives da kid choice

My dad was a William: there were so many Bill/Billy he chose early to be called by his middle name - also a king's name: Arthur

It also means both parents can choose a name each

When my only girl was born, her mum chose Laura & I chose Dawn, as she was born early one sunny morning with a full head of gorgeous golden hair

& Laura Dawn sounds like classic movie/book heroine Lorna Doone

I often teased her @ wanting to call her  >>   >>  

wait for  it   >>   >>   wait for it   >>   >>

Laura Lara Cherry Cara Amy Sandy Dawn

(6-barrelled names are not recomended for filling in the multitude of Govt forms)

But the sure made her laugh - many times!

She may well be in a remote rural area, anywhere on Earth, writing & illustrating short stories & scripts via laptop

& drawing tourists' portraits - maybe playing flute/guitar/keyboards

She's 21 on 10 Dec - if still alive - big baby blue eyes, with an attractive slight turn in one

& a slight lisp

No-one's heard from her since she left school @ 16, but she always wanted to see the world & to live in a remote rural idyll

Very Lorna Doone, eh?

Answer 24

Those names are for rednecks or pretentious wannabe's.  

Answer 25

The "doulbe barrelled names" as you call it is kind of a southern thing.  Some times the child is called by both names and sometimes not. You decide that. If you want your child to be caled by both names you will have to let other people know this.  

Answer 26

i have a double-barrelled middle name and it sounds better hyphenated. its Peta-Elise.  

Answer 27

it seems pretentious to me. pick a name and get on with it!