Active discussions

Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Double barrelled first name?

41 replies

Misty9 · 07/01/2014 20:05

Possibly our favourite name for dc2 is two names - so do we double barrel it, or keep it as first and middle name but refer to her as both?

What are people's experiences of double barrelled first names? Annoying? Too long?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
Writerwannabe83 · 07/01/2014 22:49

Whenever I hear that name all I can think about is the Exorcism film...

It's a difficult one with hyphenated names. My name isn't hyphenated but my first and middle names are names that people tend to think are hyphenated - so whenever people tend to first meet me they ask me if my name is C-L (hyphenated) or just C with the L being my middle name. It really annoys me!

I think I'd find it irritating having a 2 name first name. My guess is she'd just get called Emily regardless of what option you chose.

mum2jakie · 07/01/2014 22:12

Emily Rose is a lovely choice and seems nicer as two separate names than hyphenated IMO.

Original poster
Misty9 · 07/01/2014 21:54

Okay, thanks all. Quite a lot of feeling on the matter then! I'll be brave and say the name though Emily rose. Maybe we'll just second name it...

OP posts:
walkdowntheavenue · 07/01/2014 20:54

I like them, you'll likely end up calling your child by some shortened version of the name like initials or a nn anyway so don't get too hung up on it. If you like the names you go for it.
Im not a fan of a lot of the out there names that seem so very popular on mn and I feel these names will date and define a child more than traditional double barrelled names.

I don't have a double btw just in case anyone jumps on the bandwagon.

AndHarry · 07/01/2014 20:45

I don't think you will find many fans of hyphenated first names on MN.

I wouldn't, just because x-May/Mae/Mai, x-Rae, x-Rose etc. have been so popular over the past 4 years that they will date very quickly.

Rosencrantz · 07/01/2014 20:43

Makes me think of all those god awful Sarah-Louise's that the 90s threw up Confused

Only1scoop · 07/01/2014 20:32

Agree with whyWhenWhere....Great for names of foreign origin. However I cringe when I hear those hyphonated names being called In the park etc. Then I'm someone who shortens just about everything anyway.

happydutchmummy · 07/01/2014 20:31

Sorry, but its a no for me too... Although I do kind of like the American thing where they call the child by their initials, so Charlotte Jane would become CJ but it would obviously depend on the names and if the initials gel together...

Coconutty · 07/01/2014 20:26

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

WhenWhyWhere · 07/01/2014 20:25

I don't like them for 'English' names but I don't mind them for some 'foreign' names. I have no idea why I think this though Confused
John-Luke = no Sad
Jean-Luc = yes Smile

Middleagedmotheroftwo · 07/01/2014 20:25

They make me think of white American trailer trash. Sorry.

Bonkerz · 07/01/2014 20:23

My dd is Alex-Leigh, I love it!

BunnyLebowski · 07/01/2014 20:19

I hate them.

They are always tacky and saccharine and naff and makes me think the parents couldn't come up with a decent name so just stuck two horrible ones together.

JingleJemJem · 07/01/2014 20:17

Honestly? I'm not a fan of most double barrelled first names, sorry. I think it's a bit of a passing phase and will really date. I know a Tilly-May, Lily-Mae, Lexi-Jay, Lily-Beth, Amy-Leigh and Daisy-May, all under 8.

There are some names that do work double barrelled though, IMO, such as Sally-Ann, Sarah-Kate, Mary-Ann, but I guess they are a bit old fashioned these days.

squoosh · 07/01/2014 20:14

They just make me think the parents couldn't make a decision and they often sound quite clunky and fussy.

From Tina-Marie in the 70's to the Lilly-Ellas of today, I don't like any of them.

onetiredmummy · 07/01/2014 20:09

There's a Lily-Mae, Evie-Rae and Sophia-Rae in ds2s class and all are hyphenated and used as a first name.