to ask how what's the difference between a hyphenated and non-hyphenated double barrel name?

[doubledeckerbar]

DH and I plan to give our baby both our names when he/ she is born later this month. On a day to day basis, we are pretty sure we are only going to use one, though, which will probably be mine and which will be the second name of the two.

We are not sure about hyphenating, though. If we only plan to use mine on a regular basis, should we leave it out and just put down two separate names on the birth certificate? How does this usually work? Does double barrelling cause any kind of problems? Does anybody else have a DB name and care to share their experiences with me? Thanks

I went to university with an insanely posh (and dim) but very nice woman whose surname was treble barrelled. Not only yhat but two of the three surnames were the same unusual surname.

Think along the lines of: Cordellia Connibear Jones Connibear. I imagine the chances of two unrelated Connibears meeting and deciding to marry are pretty slim, so I imagine at some poibt they'd been some inter marrying going on,.

Oh and my surname is last, precisely so that if people decide that is their 'real' surname they've got their mother's.

Only one middle name, MI? You lightweight.

I think do

Once upon a time db surnames were considered posh but now think it's just assumed v pretentious\unmarried parents/making a simple thing of choosing a surname to be more of a faff than it needs to be. It's a shame because the kids suffer from having adaft surname or are looked down upon as people assume they are from unmarried patents.

We double barrelled with a hyphen. My surname is first (as it sounds better) but i didn't want it getting seen as a middle name or dropped. I was quite happy for DH and I to just keep our names and DB the DC. But DH actively wanted to take my name- we even discussed all taking mine, but DH is quite well known professionally in his circles so we didn't want to lose that.

Then purely by chance we have ended up diving DS the poshest name imaginable. We both only liked one classical boys name as a first name. My good friend sadly died just before DS was born so we used his 'official' Cypriot name as a middle name. We had a hard birth and nearly lost DS, so he also got the Obstetricians name as a tribute - who also happened to have a posh name. The surnames are not posh alone, but together do sound quite. So DS has 11 syllables in his name and form filling is a nightmare

Now having DC2 and are having to match the names, otherwise they my feel left out!

I have one and it's non-hyphenated, which makes it much easier to use. I call myself by the second one I only use both names in a professional context on published work.

DS only has the second one as his last name.

Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax.

Having a double barrelled surname is a pain. My DH is double barrelled anyway and I took his surname when we married. Now people assume we merged my surname and his when we married and ask who was smith and who was jones. I always say he was both! My maiden name was far simpler on forms etc. I often just use the last part of the surname, when I booked a table yesterday I just said the name was jones as double barrelled names just cause endless confusion.

"It's a shame because the kids suffer from having adaft surname or are looked down upon as people assume they are from unmarried patents."

The 1950s called- your tea's ready...............

My ds is hyphenated, I had a vague idea it was posher to have no hyphen, but the registrar said 'hyphen?' and we just said 'go on then' Am glad we did after reading the information here.

"It's a shame because the kids suffer from having adaft surname or are looked down upon as people assume they are from unmarried patents."

my daughter has a hyphenated name..i don't really see the difference though. Quite often though at nursery, doctors etc when shes addressed they drop off the second surname. My surname is first so I don't mind lol

Yes, there's a huge stigma here in SE London about unmarried parents. I have to hang my head in shame every time I go to the school gates.

Martorana, I raise you five consecutive consonants and an umlaut. And that's only one of the surnames . And the middle names are Fancy Forrin Ones, though admittedly that isn't particularly uncommon round here either.

My kid has a non-hyphenated double-barrelled surname as his father and I are brazenly living in sin. If we get married, we'll still both have our own surnames so it won't change. Yes it is a bit of a pain explaining 'that's Baby HISNAME MYNAME two surnames no hyphen file under H' each time but you get used to it, and if he hates it he can drop one of them later on. Possibly we have condemned him to a life of struggling with bureaucracy. Oh well.

The madthings have double barrel with hyphen.

It doesn't cause any problems, the full surname is used, apart from one obnoxious Dr who refused to use it and when ds2 corrected him told us that children take their father's name as that's how things are done.

Two out of the five also have three first names and that isn't a problem either.

It's first name myname-dpsname, and it's that way round as it sounded better.

Oh and they have no problems at school etc, I think lots of people assume we are married and often the kids correct them, ds4 installing about getting married when older and then said 'or we can just live together and be partners like you and daddy.' it's just a non issue.