Talk to me about... surname names

OP specifically asked for people's opinions on surname names. She gave the impression that she wasn't necessarily expecting everyone to be enthusiastic.

In that context, it seems perfectly reasonable to say "no I don't like them and this is why". If OP had posted a thread saying she loved surname names and wanted more suggestions then it would be rude to say you don't like them. I really don't see the problem in this case though.

Middle name for ds is mil's maiden name. Second choice was my dm's maiden name. But they are both in top 100 boys names. We considered them because they were perfectly reasonable! I say go for it.

Is it Darwin?

Do some of you also disapprove of forenames for surnames, e.g Heather Graham, John Terry?
Although now wondering which category Cole fits into. Cheryl Cole or Cole Porter? Guess its not that easy to pigeonhole after all

My daughters middle name is my dads aunt's (who adopted him) maiden name. Still with me? :p

But really, who the fuck cares what a bunch of randoms on the Internet think? Call your baby what you like and screw everyone else!

Some horrible snobby, shallow and judgy people on this thread.
Let's all name our children 'proper' names shall we?

I like surnames as forenames Op. What have you got on your list? :)

We called our DS Hunter, a fair few people on here flamed it!

But we love it and everyone we meet comments on it and say how much it suits him. In the hospital and scbu everyone kept saying how much they loved it cos its different but not silly different!

As long as surname is an obvious surname ie, i know a Campbell Scott and everyone gets his name muddled up. I like surnames as first names ie, Jackson, Harrison, Campbell, Murdoch, Cameron etc

I think it depends a lot on the name.

I used to work with someone who had a surname name as his first name, and then a surname that was more commonly a first name - so his name was along the lines of Harrison Thomas - and that was very confusing at first.

Pure Chav?

Ugh to this thread.

Mmmm, I quite like Fletcher as it reminds me of Mel Gibson's character Fletcher Christian from Mutiny on the Bounty.

He was beeeyootiful in that film.

I think there's a fine line between chav and cool. Mitchel and Taylor screamed across the playground = pure chav. But then I know two grown-up men called Spencer and Fletcher, respectively, and both of them have that edgy-cool-but-work-hard-and-achieve thing about them. I think their names have helped them along a bit.

Not sure about Newton, tbh. He would just be called Newt, wouldn't he? Cute while he is little - but not so great at school and beyond.

I like what you're trying to do, but the name reminds me more of a small pond creature than a pioneering scientist.

It was Newton Heath I was thinking of . United's original name.

That reminds me, Ally McCoist's sons are called Mitchell and Argyll. Never really thought Argyll worked as a first name.

Pickledginger your Newton Alexander comment just made me think of this scene from Cougar Town when Laurie finds out Smith's surname, made me giggle anyway! 19 mins 23 seconds in.

They are quite common in real life (MN is not real life). So I think the consensus "out there" is that they are perfectly respectable.

As said it's very common in Scotland.

We did it - we used Darwin. One person asked if it was after the place, but aside from that everyone else has mentioned Charles Darwin or simply commented what a cool name it is.

Your DH isn't a sneaky United fan is he?

Then if you like the name, go for it. They aren't everyone's choice but when your child is actually born and named no-one's likely to give it any thought. When people say they don't like surnames as first names they're generally thinking of the same dozen or so names that are over used.

No. No, no, no. No. That's just my view though. One thing that does matter is if you have a surname that sounds like a first name eg Alexander. A Newton Alexander would spend a fair bit of time explaining that, no, he hadn't filled the form in wrong.

All names were first names originally, as someone above said. The purpose of a name is to identify you so middle and surnames were added, in case others shared your first name.

As long as a name sounds nice and identifies you, who cares if historically it has been used more as first, second or third name?

I know people with surnames that sound like first names, e.g. Alexander, Quentin, Oliver. Again, who cares?

To be fair it's not a purely American trend. Living in Scotland I've met a lot of men called Campbell, Blair etc. It's something they've done for generations.

I do think it works better for boys though.

Americans seem to love names like Porter, Hunter, Cooper - old occupational type names.

There also seems to be a growing trend to use Irish surnames as first names e.g. Quinn, Rafferty, Cassidy. I don't really like it as to me they are so obviously surnames. If you know a lot of people with these surnames it's harder to see them as first names. That might just be me though.