Compound names like Maryellen, Rosabeth etc.

[SleepyCatOnTheMat]

Just wondering what people think of names like these. I was surprised - given the relative popularity of Ellen, Alice, Anna, Beth, Rosa and Mary (all in the top 350) - to see on the England and Wales 2011 name charts there were no Maryellens, Maryalices or Rosabeths, and just 8 Maryanns and 3 Annabeths. Are these name due a comeback? Or are they too American, or too ugly when written down? Maryellen could be shortened to Marnie, a MN favourite!

I think they're more American, tbh (have suddenly got JimBob in my head).

I've never seen one. I think it would be more common here to hyphenate two names if combining them.

My name is similar in style (two "normal" names) but hyphenated. It is very, very unusual though, I haven't ever come across anyone with a similar style name. I think they are seen as very American.

I know a Marianne. They all sound too American for my ears but I preder two standard names compounded to a name whos spellibg has been bastardized.

Sarahjane better than Jorja any day!

I know a toddler Marianne, too, actually but I wouldn't have thought of it as in the same style as the names in the OP. Though I guess technically it is (though so is Joanna, Susanna etc!)

Jorja is a perfectly acceptable Eastern European spelling, though.

My daughter is called Anna and her middle name is Beth but we just call her Anna. When I have to give her name at doctors etc; people think it's all one name though.

They sound very American.

I really really don't like them.

I don't see Marianne as a compound name though and can't for the life of me explain why.

I think they remind me of gypsy names tbh

Joanna and Susannah are not compound names - Joanna comes from Joan which is a female variant of John, and Susannah is the Hebrew for water-lily.

I guess Marianne doesn't seem like a compound name because very few women are called Mari.

Technically Annabel is a compound name, but it doesn't feel like it, does it? And that's probably why it's more popular.

Maryellen and Maryalice are quite sweet and infinitely more classy than, say, Alaia-Mai.

If you count hyphenated names as a compound name, then there are some very popular ones at the moment, they are just quite different to Maryellen etc.

You can see a list of ones that were popular in 2011 here...

www.britishbabynames.com/blog/hyphen-names-2011.html

So for example Lily-Mae is more popular than a name like Mary on its own.

I've never come across those names

the ones in the OP

Maryalice was the dead narrator on Desperate Housewives.

Marylou was in On The Road.