Why does everyone on here hate double barrelled names?

[Blackcurrentapple]

Just that really, I have noticed so many are against them and just wondering why?

I have 2 names I really want for dd when she arrives, I love them both, go well together, and I want to use both as I don't just want one to get swollwed up as a middle name never to be used!

Please I think it gives a option when child is older to choose if it would rather go by just one of the names!

Please tell me you reasons why you don't like them

[AuntieBrenda]

I don't like them as they seem a bit try hard to me. It's probably because they weren't popular when I was a kid myself and seem a 'new' thing. Some hyphenated names are a bit American hillbilly too - DS is at school with a Bobbie-May and an ellie-May and they make me think of itinerant farm workers in 30s America.
Just personal taste. My DS name
is biblical and not many people like thise names.
Call your kid the name you like

[divingoffthebalcony]

Personally, I think they give the impression of not being able to decide between two names so, sod it, use both. Sometimes they don't scan. I also think it makes a name become unnecessarily long and wordy; a real mouthful to get through sometimes.

[MrsBungle]

Too much of a mouthful. I also feel it looks like the parent couldn't decide between two names. I especially do not like double barrelled first name followed by double barrelled surname.

[ShatnersBassoon]

I think you mean hyphenated given names. Double-barrelled names are surnames stuck together.

I think most people see them as not one thing or another. Billy-Bob sounds a bit silly. It's the silliness thing that makes me dislike them. Billy is fine, Bob is fine, but Billy-Bob sounds daft to my ears.

You still get the choice with a regular middle name. I know a couple of people that go by their middle name.

[Littleturkish]

Here's one for you- I don't like them, but used one for my DD.

I find that everyone I know as an older child/adult uses only one. Some can sound like two random names plonked together. Often, just the single name is much nicer on its own.

I used one because both names had a very significant meaning, and together sound very beautiful. I love my double barrelled dd's name. I don't even care about my previous misgivings. And we're working hard on her only responding to the two names together!!

[Bunbaker]

My answer is going to sound snobby, but where I live hyphenated names have trailer trash/rough inner city council estate connotations.

I agree with AuntieBrenda that they are a bit "try too hard" and have a trying to "better yourself" image.

Basically they are non u.

[TheCraicDealer]

Haha at "itinerant farm workers"!

Usually they're just too long and the parents will insist on the use of both names when inevitably kids will just use the first one for ease of parlance in the playground. Seems a bit precious. I especially dislike variances on -May/Mae or -Belle, but that's mostly because they're very popular and will really date. Your DD, your choice, but I do think she'll drop one sooner than you'd prefer.

[LadyNexus]

Do what you like, it's your child

Personally I'm not a fan. Rightly or wrongly I just get the impression the parents couldn't decide which name to use so lump both of them in.

Besides they only usually use one. It's just another few precious seconds they have to spend filling out forms.

Seriously think of all the forms and times you write your name down in life!

( actually for the same reason I don't like middle names either. No one uses it, it's only purpose is to take up space on a form )

But that's just me.

[TweeAintMee]

I'm guessing that the number of syllables has something to do with it...so let's take it to the extremes:

Charlotte-Antoinette - it's hard to imagine calling her for breakfast.
Angelina-Jiulietta - please may we talk about your over use of Facebook?
Marcus-Brutus - please stop stabbing your cousin with the knitting needles.


On the other hand:
Dear John, I need to tell you something.
Lucia, you look divine darling.
Fred, you're such a brick.

Most friends I know with hyphenated first names end up with nick names or use only one. The only exception IME is Anne-Marie. Even easier though would be Marie-Ann, or Julie-Ann, etc.

[OutragedFromLeeds]

I think some hyphenated names are lovely, but it's really hard to get it right.

I don't like the ones with a 'throwaway' second bit i.e. they haven't really thought about it, they've just added May or Rose on the end. You end up with 5 children in the same class called Sophie-May, Jessie-May, Charlotte-May, Gracie-May and Lily-May. Think of the poor teacher!

I don't like it when the name is too long e.g. Francessca-Amelia, Anabella-Cecily.

I don't like it when they don't scan well or sound funny e.g. Elly-Ruby, Louise-Fiona, Autumn-Winter.

To find a hyphenated name where both names are strong, that scans well, isn't too long and doesn't sound like a cartoon character is almost impossible.

[manicinsomniac]

I don't like them because I have one and I suffered through years at school of (outing myself here!) 'Rebecca-Jane come here', 'Rebecca-Jane are you listening to me?' 'stop that Rebecca-Jane'. It just felt like SUCH a mouthful (even though it's only one more syllable than I wanted people to use.) I rarely admit to the hyphen now.

[Lovecat]

It does sound Hillbillyish, tbh.

Every child I know with a hyphenated name (all 2 of them!) has ended up using just the first one as soon as they were able to state a preference.

I am also biased because I once worked with an atrocious cunt of a woman who had named her DD Katie-Jane (

[GarlicJuneBlooms]

Some work, in my opinion, some don't. Louise-Fiona has an awkward rhythm, Rebecca-Jane a nice one (which is probably why people kept using it, manic! I ended up being pissed off with my single, two-syllable name for the same reason.)

There was a girl at my school called Sherry-Lynn. Names like Cherilyn were unheard of at the time; hers was all special and cool :) I slavishly hyphenated my middle name for a while, but mine really did sound all hillbilly! It was impossible to say it without 'singing' it in a cod Cajun accent - even for me! So I stopped that

[ancientbuchanan]

If you were a French Catholic, of a certain age, then you would know lots of Marie- + anything, male or female. I think Marie- Louise is pretty, like Anne- Marie, or Maria Theresia.

But I nearly ended up with a hillbilly combo from first and,second names and only didn't because we moved from n America. It sounds like trying far too hard.

[HilariousInHindsight]

I have no problem with them.

I'm in the non judgmental minority.

[Nereida]

I dislike punctuation in names in general. My cousin's daughter actually has an apostrophe in her name rather than a hyphen. I hope that's not going to be the next big thing!

Also, it's usually always the same names used (Lily, Ellie, Lexi, Ella, Millie + May (or worse Mai), Grace and Rose) so it seems a bit repetitive and unimaginative.

And, like Bunbaker said, it probably does sound snobby, but this type of name does have certain connotations and some people will be judgemental for that reason.

[unweavedrainbow]

I have a hyphenated name, it's French. As ancient says, hyphenated names are very common in France just not very common in England, at least historically.

[Appletini]

They are a nightmare on official documents and make you sound like a member of the Waltons.

[Xcountry]

Theyre both pretentious and chav-tastic at the same time and I hate mine, It was the only thing my mother ever gave me and to be honest I wish she wouldn't have bothered.

[BrianTheMole]

My dc have both our names, although its not hyphenated. Just two separate names. No we couldn't decide, maybe it was lazy, no we're not chav-tastic (vile terminology from pp) but at least it works well with passports when we travel with the children separately. I figured the dc could decide what they wanted to use themselves, mine, dh's, or both. I have never dictated what they should use and naturally they have slipped in to using the one name they prefer.

[Chottie]

I don't like the cutesy type names like 'Daisy-Belle' yes really it makes me think of a cow's name. They do sound a bit Waltons to me too. There are just so many hypen Belle, Maisie, Mae, May, Mai names around.

[burgatroyd]

Belle, Mai, may, Mae, Mia, Grace, Rose...

Always the same hyphenated name. I wouldn't mind if it was more original (unless its honouring family member).

I toyed with one... Coco - Marie.

Hormones.

That said they are so common now that I don't think twice about them.

Op, what's the name you're considering?

[TessOfTheFurbyvilles]

They're just a bit too redneck for me, especially if they end in May, Mae, Mai, Rae, Ray or Belle.

[TessOfTheFurbyvilles]

Oh and your comment about giving the child choice, to go by one of the names, you don't need to double-barrel a first name to do that.

Simply giving a child a FN + MN gives them that choice, after all, plenty of people go by their middle names.

I was 23 before I discovered that my aunt Ann, was actually Felicity on her BC, but hated it so went by her middle name instead!

[BeckaH123]

I don't hate them all. Some are quite nice and I think the "hillbilly" thing can be quite cool if you are the type of person to carry it off.

What I am not a fan of, for girls especially is flowery, cutesy names - I don't want to offend anyone, but things along the lines of Lily-Mae or Amelia-Rose.

I wouldn't name my DD anything like that but it doesn't mean you can't OP. A name is only a name anyway, it doesn't define the person your DC will be. It's not like I would actively dislike someone just for being called Amelia-Rose or whatever.