Double Barrel first name?

[HeinzKetchup]

I've got a name in mind for my currently nameless nearly two week old baby (finally) but was wondering, can i use two first names without a hyphen?

I don't think the name I've chosen looks good with one.
For example could i use Lilly Rose instead of Lilly-Rose or will people think rose is her middle name?

I never knew how hard naming a little person could be!

[allbottledup]

I know a little girl with a non-hyphenated first name. IME people tend naturally to drop the second half, so her parents work quite hard loudly and obviously to emphasise that she is 'Sarah Jessica' rather than just 'Sarah'. Bear this in mind and make sure that you like the first part of the name on its own, because once she goes to school you won't have any control over whether both parts of the name stick!

[feelingvunerable]

I think when she is little people will call her what you call her. When she gets older you will have no control over what people choose to call her.

My ds gets called by a nickname for our surname by a lot of his secondary school teachers which I found surprising. Eg think Smithy for surname Smith.

[badtime]

Princess Margaret was always known as 'Margaret Rose' when she was young.

I have a traditionally 'double' given name but with no hyphen (think Mary Ann or Sarah Jane). I usually go by the first part day-to-day (because my name is quite long), but sign everything with my full name or both initials.

[SoupDragon]

My name is hyphenated. I just use the second half of it so "having a choice" is really irrelevant :)

#pleasedtobeannoying

[HeinzKetchup]

Lol yes it did make sense thank you. I think I'll leave the hyphen out then so she has the option when she older.

[EricLovesAnyFucker]

Like Sarah Jessica Parker?
You can, it's slightly less annoying than hyphenating, but why would you? It makes you look indecisive and try hard. Most people have one name, why does your child need two? And most people will assume it's a middle name anyway.

[elcranko]

Hope that made sense!

[elcranko]

One of my mum's friends didn't hyphenate her daughter's names but always calls them by their two names, so for example one is called Claire Louise (not the real name btw!) not Claire-Louise, and yet still goes by the two names even though she is now an adult, because that's what everyone has always called her (her sister is, for example, Sarah Jane, and also goes by her full name). I think that this is the nicer option because it gives your child the option to drop the second part of their name when they're older if they want to, but if you introduce your child as Lily Rose and always call her this then everyone else will too.

[HeinzKetchup]

Tbh I will probably only use the full name when she's naughty lol. But I suppose if I say her name is blah blah not just blah then people will have to use it. I've just always seen double barrelled names with hyphens.

[Lubiloo]

Agree - without the hyphen it looks like first name middle name.

Depends whether you prefer the name Lily or Lilyrose/Lily-Rose.

[SoupDragon]

Hang on... yes, people will think it's a first name middle name scenario though. I don't think you can avoid that without a hyphen. Are you likely to be calling her the whole thing other than when she is really naughty though?

[JumpingJackSprat]

If you call her it then people will think that's just her name and won't care how is spelt. At school she may well drop the secomd name but my friend has a "Lil y-rose" for eg and she gets called lily most of the time anyway.

[SoupDragon]

Of course you can. Most people do! :)