Issues with double-barrelled surnames for DCs

[horsechesnut]

Hi all, how commmon is it these days for parents to give their DCS both their surnames? I was in the doctors t'other day when two babies were called with double-barrelled names. This surprised me.

This then got me thinking - what are the pros and cons of double-barrellied names? Do you think it can lead to bullying at school for perceived poshness or unusualness?

We have a double-barrelled surname and I love it! All pros I think, as for bullying at school over it, I doubt it. I went to a not so nice school and I remember a boy with a double-barrelled surname, he wasn't bullied over it. Also I think it's becoming much more popular now, with more women choosing to keep their name, so there'll be more of them!!

I think it will be interesting to see what the next generation does - ie, if your double-barrelled DD marries someone with a double-barrelled surname and both partners are reluctant to give up their own surnames, will we end up with lots of quadruple-barrelled names? And so on? [mind boggles]

PS I think it's pretty common these days so unlikely to be a target for bullying i'd have thought.

DS has both our surnames, as DP and I are both last in line with our family names and neither of us were prepared to see them disappear.

I'm surprised more families don't do it - I know a lot of unmarried mothers who automatically gave their child just the father's name. I think it would feel strange to have a different surname to my baby.

The only problem I can forsee is when the next generation pair up and have babies. A quadruple-barrelled name isn't really practical, so I guess it's up to them what they do with the glut of surnames!!!

Cons _ the major one is if you have non-Anglo names. I have a McSurname and DH an Irish surname. To double-barrel our names would have been ludicrous!

I don't think they necessarily lend themselves to bullying, especially if they're becoming more common.

What aspect of giving two surnames (mums and dads)is seen as 'posh'?

I think its become more normal recently, as the increase in people having children before they're married has been quite high. DS has both our names and it never really crossed my mind it could lead to bullying.

Absoluetly the opposite mrsvwoolf, when I see double barrelled surnames now I think unmarried parents straight off.

When I was at school I would have thought they were the upper middle class ones but now my opinion has totally changed seeing the numbers of them out there.

I'm double-barrelled because my father's great-grandparents decided to each keep their surnames.

I'm rather sick of it because it takes twice as long to write down, spell out, etc. and that can be a hassle when you're at primary school and learning to write/spell. Companies get confused about whether things are filed under your first or second initial ('First-Second'? Is that under 'F' or 'S'?) and people never seem to know what a hyphen is. And you can't put hyphens in email addresses, which means your full, actual name is never the one which people see first. People often think that the first part of my surname is my middle name, and insist I'm just called 'Second', and not 'First-Second'. Or not capitalising the second name, so it's 'First-second': that is frustrating.

As for perceptions, I'm in my twenties and still have people put on a 'posh' voice when they say my name. I've got used to it, but I would rather have a shorter, more normal name.

I used to have a double barrelled surname. I elbowed the first part of it when I was in my late teens.

It was a pain in the arse and it was a mouthful as I have two long first names.

"No the whole thing is my surname. Yes it has a hyphen, etc" EVERY time you give someone your name.

Drove me nuts!

Yes, an apostrophe is not a hyphen; neither half is mine, it is all my husbands fault; it's been like that for several centuries and is Norman not polish!

Why does a first half that people find difficult (even though it's pronounced exactly as it's spelt) mean that people struggle with the second half?

We called our daughter Ruth to make up for a difficult surname- and then went and gave her two middle names!

I have nothing against double barelled names and they do seem to be much more common. I am not married but chose to let the children have their fathers surname simply because I liked it better. OTOH I know someone who is married but they all have taken the wifes surname simply because they like it better. I think it is not to avoid being "Posh" but just the slight extra hassle.