A child having a double barrelled surname?

[Febee23]

Is there any NEGATIVES to a child having a Double barrelled surname when parents aren’t together.

Might not fit on forms if there are many letters in it.

Our school has loads of them, isn't a problem at all.

I had one and I hated it. I always thought it sounded silly. That's why I didn't change DS's name even though his dad and I are divorced.

If the parents aren’t together, why not just give the last name of the mother?

Dd has a ridiculously long and complicated double-barrelled surname. Her dad’s is Scottish and long, mine is Welsh with no vowels.

Really have no idea what I was thinking when I registered her!! Should have just given her mine. She will be known just as my surname when she’s at school to try to reduce some difficulty.

DH and I are together, but I can’t think of any down sides to DS having both our names. It’s pretty usual. He’s moving school to one in a new country, and we’ve seen the class list for the new school, and somewhere between one third and half the children have two surnames.

You just look like a bit of a tosser. Even worse having both a double barrelled first and last name.

Working in a school, I have to say I find that children themselves, on the whole, don't like it. They probably don't tell their parents, but a vast majority of them drop one of their two surnames on their exercise books and refer to themselves by only one surname.

I'd go just with yours.

It makes it harder for them to write their name when they start school, especially if the first name is double barrelled too.

As a double barrelled named child of divorced parents it becomes an unholy battle ground, and as it's part of your identity when your family is splitting its (double) hard

One sided family will write cheques or post cards to one name, the other the other name. People will innocently drop one name or the other, and you'll get defensive. Or it will be awkward when you're giving your full name to be proper in front of the other.

Additionally you'll be tempted to drop one name or the other when as is typical adolescent behaviour you go through periods of hate.

Additionally forms are wank, nobody knows what a hyphen is. And when you get married you cant double barrel your own name.

I dropped my surname so quick when I could!

You just look like a bit of a tosser.

Or like the child of parent with different surnames.

I've never had a problem with DSs name not fitting on forms but it doesn't fit on those pre-printed school clothes name stickers which is a bit of a pain.

DS has 2 Southern European surnames so they go together nicely, and the double-barrell is useful if DH or I or any of the grandparents ever take him abroad by themselves.

My children have a hyphenated last name. In some circumstances they use one or other of the name- but usually they use both we have made it very clear to them that they can, if they wish , drop either name but at 18 and 23 neither of them have.

Our daughter has a double-barrelled surname as neither of us changed our names on marriage. It's fine. It took her longer to learn to write her name than some other kids in her class but that's not an issue.

I have a double barrel surname, one name is quite unusual, no issues other than people not spelling it properly

Incidentally- “double barrelled” was a term invented in the 19th century as a satirical description for a particular sort of “toff”. It was intended to be very rude!

My DC have a double barrelled surname, no issues so far. If they want to drop one when older that it on with me.

Double barreled first names are a bit more eyebrow raising. I know 4 children born in the last year with the following format: (Myth/season/Attribute)-(lower case flower or shrub). Oh dear.

Clunky, cumbersome, take up too much space on name tapes, forms etc, a slight whiff of pretension (although that seems to be changing as they become common).

Confusion - when checking into hotels, training courses, collecting parcels or similar situations where someone needs to look up your name, there’s always the fun conversation “I could be listed under A or B”. Some computer systems can’t cope (especially abroad) so contacts/bookings make unilateral decisions to drop one or other name. Hyphens get left out or added at random.

All friends of my generation who grew up with them dropped one name upon reaching adulthood.

Potentially all of those things - although neither of my children have ever had a problem. But also a name that reflects their family background, is not continuing a patriarchal tradition - and in my children’s case is unique. Which can be very useful.

My daughters name is double barrelled and our next baby's will be as well. Only negative so far is that it's a bit annoying saying so many names but positives outweigh it for me. Don't see why my children should not have my name as well. She can choose to drop one when she's older if she wants to and we'd both be fine with that.

I grew up with a double barrel. I am now in my early 50s, and still use the double barrel. I've never dropped any part of it or changed my name, as I don't see why it's necessary. The whole double barrel was inherited from one parent, though.

DC have their dad's surname, but have flirted with changing to mine. I told them they can do what they like.

I can see a negative.
My elder DD has linked her last name with her husband's last name. And he has linked his with hers.
So, they're (for example) Mr John and Mrs Jane Smith-Jones.

DD was keen to keep her (unusual) last name because it's a family thing. DSinLaw doesn't care, so linked his (fairly usual) last name with hers.

I wonder (silently, so not to be a bad mother) what will happen when little Tiddles Smith-Jones meets, falls in love with and marries little Offspring Evans-Taylor.

Will they name PFB "Cutie Smith-Jones-Evans-Taylor"?

I just sit back and wait.

It’s not hard to work out that they would simply pick a combination or just one name that they like and use that. 🙄

Why on earth would they? They can make a sensible decision about the naming of their children just like their parents did. Mother’s, father’s, a combination or an entirely new name.