Would you use a surname as a first name of your surname can also be used as a first name?

I know a couple of people who have first names as surnames (e.g. Matthew Thomas) and both say that they have about a 50% hit rate as to whether emails are addressed to "Dear Thomas" or "Dear Matthew".
Howeve,r there is not much you can do about it where you have that type of surname.

I do think having 2 names which are both more commonly used as surnames (e.g. Harrison Taylor) is less confusing than having a surname as a first name and a first name as a surname (e.g. Harrison Thomas)

I work at a place now where we have this problem - David George and George David working in the same department (not those actual names). And for extra confusion our email system shows up the sender as a "Surname, firstname" format so initially you'll read it as being from the other person.

I really like those kind of surnames as first names, and vice versa, but I'm not sure I would but them together.

I used to work with 2 guys called Douglas Robb and Rob Douglas. People were always confusing them and sending emails to the wrong person. They hated it, and each other!

It hasn't held Jamie Oliver back...

I knew people with the surname Kenny and they felt they struggled to find a name that went well with it, although their issue was more about avoiding a repeat of the 'y' sound.

I also know a William Williams. You do wonder why...

No I wouldn't as I work in a job calling people's names out ie a hospital and this confused me no eyn

I have several colleagues whose names are like this. Our email system puts surnames first and even though it does it with a comma (Meggie, Purple) the people with two surname-type names are forever being called the wrong thing. The one that particularly sticks in my mind is a woman whose surname is a common men's first name (think Leigh Andrew) and people always assume she is a man called Andrew.

Joseph but is your surname one that is commonly used as a first name too?

Jackson Greenfield clearly has firstname Jackson.

Jackson Harrison is confusing.

If you've gone fourteen years with a Jackson Harrison equivalent and no one has got confused that's good going!

My DS first name is my maiden name and surname is exh. My maiden name is commonly used as a first name too.

Stroke The same middle name repeated twice?

DH and DS both have names which could work either way around. It's fine.

We struggled finding a name for our son for this very reason! Our surname is a (now not so common) boys' name and DH often gets called by his surname even though his first name ISN'T really used as a surname!
It drives him mad. The problem is that so many boys' names are actually surnames as well... we found one eventually. Although it's the diminutive form of a name that is a surname. It's a minefield!

Both my sons have surnames for first names and in the 14 years my eldest has been alive we have never had any issues. Where do you all live where people get confused? Is it something in the water?

Ha people are so dramatic. It's totally fine. No more of an issue than Henry James / Rhys David / James Gordon. I mean people may need to clarify sometimes, but I wouldn't call that a 'problem' in the great scheme of things. It wouldn't stop me using a name I love.

My maiden name is a popular girls first name, my middle name is a surname traditionally used as a middle name in my family. Until I got married very little post, work emails etc used to be addressed correctly and people would constantly assume I was filling in forms wrongly. It is irritating. My first name was ignored completely for some reason.

Mmmm, Golden Grahams

I used to work with a Gordon Graham and a Graham Gordon.

Yes.

Woodrow Wilson
Andrew Jackson
William Harrison
Zachary Taylor
Millard Fillmore
Franklin Pierce
Abraham Lincoln
Chester Arthur

All US Presidents with names that could be surnames.

We considered it for our sons. Our surname is Lee, and we considered first names Harland, Watson, Benson, Davis, Fraser, Redmond, Scott, and more.

I used my maiden name as my sons middle name, Davies. I also know someone who's maiden name was Pearce and she called her firstborn Pearce.

I think it depends on the name. Something like Adam Jackson would be fine, as Adam is such a common first name.

Spencer Harrison, Campbell Carter or Fletcher Taylor all sound very strange, though. As others said, it's like an accounting firm!

it's tiresome.

people get it wrong, and you have to correct them.

I remember one lecturer asked my name and thereafter called me Mr. Carter-Harris (or whatever my name is)

I also met someone called Harris Smith at a new job, and got very confused when he said "Hello. Harris. What's your name?"

People think they're calling you by your first name when it's your surname, and vice-versa.

Perhaps the parents think it's cute, or funny. No worse than being called Trixibelle Peachblossom, perhaps.

My DS has 4 names - all of which could be classed as both forenames and surnames. He'll never be short of a psuedonym :)

I think it's fine, unless you end up sounding like a law firm.

I know an Edward Edwards

No, don't do it. My surname is a girl's name and it's awful, people keep getting my name the wrong way round.

SORRY POSTED TOO EARLY...

All this talk about confusing surnames and first names reminds me of when I once had to fly on a business trip to Munich. The PA who had booked my ticket on Lufthansa forwarded me the confirmation and I tried to check in for the flight online and couldn't do it. When I phoned Lufthansa to try to check in it was discovered that she had actually booked me as BunnyMommy rather than MommyBunny. I don't know how she did it - there is no way my first name resembles a surname or vice versa - but I had A LOT of explaining to do and almost missed my flight because of that mistake.