Where does the double barrelling stop

[DooWhaaDiddy]

If an unmarried couple give the child both of their surnames, and that child then goes on to have a child with a partner who also has a doublebarrelled surname what do they do? Where does it stop! Application forms or the register at schools must be a nightmare

A big scarlet X and just call us Hester Prynne.

I am married and we have a double barrelled surname. If we have children, they will. They simply have more names to choose from

Could be Giro-Jeggins or Nodad-Brighthouse or any variation on it.

Seriously though, I've never understood why people even care. If you don't like it don't do it. Simple. No need to be a snob.

Also married, kept my surname and double barrelled the kids. Why undo all the years of building up a professional reputation only to have to work it all back again with the name change?!

I'm married, kept my name, and all the children have my name.

I'm double barrelled from birth. Partner is double barrelled from birth (different name obviously).

Our kid doesn't have four surnames, he is also double barreled, with one of each of our names. None of the grandparents got offended, or at least have never shown it.

Typically, we all drop one of our names in everyday use for ease.

We are also married.

Seriously though, I've never understood why people even care. If you don't like it don't do it. Simple. No need to be a snob.

I'm not sure I do care, really. I suppose I feel sad for them, if anything.

Similar to when I see them smoking roll-ups outside the maternity unit.

Shelly you clearly do care, very much. Otherwise why all the snide little digs about class? People who give their children double-barrelled names stand outside maternity units smokin' a faaag. They call their daughters Chardonnay.

Was someone with a double-barrel name a big meanie to you once?

Never done this before but Shelly

The feminist in me really wants to keep my surname. The pragmatist in me bloody hates my surname and can't wait to get rid of it. Double barrel would sound awful and a blended surname would be hilarious. So as I like my partner's surname quite a lot I'll be going against my principles and taking it.

With myself being one of 3 girls I rather do think our name is finishing with this generation...

OP- if there is anything else you'd like explained to you, don''t hesitate to ask....,

Why do womennever say "oh, the father's name was too boring/ugly/hard to spell/risible/ hard to pronounce so we gave the children my name"?

My exes surname is literally stupid no one can pronounce it so it's his surname-my surname only because of him being a dick when registering our son.

I'm hoping Ds decides to drop dickheads name when he's older one because it's a pain in the arse and two because his dad has fuck all to do with him.

Sniggering at the idea that a double barrelled surname is indicative of class.

God, some people need to get out more. And Shelly no one with any pretensions above the lower middle classes would ever use a word like "chav", much less capitalise it.

IME when most children get to be teens they drop one half of the double-barrel. Which half? Dunno. The one they most like the sound of, I'd assume, but I have heard of a few cases along the lines of "Johnny Brown-Shiter wants to be known as Johnny Shiter from now on" - so who knows?

Bertrand I know exactly what you mean. It's a source of irritation to me that my surname genuinely is awful - the sort that has led to lifelong teasing, the sort that people change just not to be called it. I've kept it for myself but couldn't bring myself to wish it on my child when compared to my husband's dull but painless name.

I do wish though that more women who kept their names would it use them for their kids, double-barrelled or not.

What bollocks re identifying the unmarrieds.. (not that I care being happily unmarried partner meself!)

I'm double barrelled.. Parents were married. Dad's name... In family for a century.....

Plenty of folk have had double barrelled for generations, as the same family name!

I had a student a couple of years ago that had four surnames. None of them were short either.

I was married but kept my name and really regret not going double barrelled for the kids.

NewMe what tosh! Your friend knows no such thing. I'm married and our DC have double barrelled names.

And even if she does-this matters exactly how?

Bertrand well exactly! NewMe was posting as though the teacher was a 1930's schoolmistress! "SCANDAL! Unmarried parents!"

I think all the protestations of "why does it matter if we're unmarried?" is a bit disingenuous. It does matter, to a lot of people, that they are known as married, for a multitude of reasons. For me personally, I know that in a social context being married/part of a married family gives you and your child definite advantages. Which is one of the reasons I wouldn't want to pass on to my child the stigma that a double-barrelled surname is now associated with. I know, why should I care? But the truth is, one's name does matter, so why wouldn't I give my child all the advantages I can possibly give them.

Well I caveat this by saying I'm big into family history. I am the last of my family's children to bear our surname. When I got married I took Osmond as a second middle name and became a Harrison. Due to the line ending though our children are named Osmond-Harrison (not real name I might add).

I'm lead to believe using my maiden name as a middle name is more common in the US, not sure how true that is.

I confuse most people now, especially as I have retained my maiden name professionally. Oh but thanks to two shorter forenames I generally have just enough space on forms, usually without a box to spare!

The only people I know with double barrelled surnames all have married parents.