Why does everyone on here hate double barrelled names?

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Just that really, I have noticed so many are against them and just wondering why?

I have 2 names I really want for dd when she arrives, I love them both, go well together, and I want to use both as I don't just want one to get swollwed up as a middle name never to be used!

Please I think it gives a option when child is older to choose if it would rather go by just one of the names!

Please tell me you reasons why you don't like them

Thurlow! What was Daisy-May like? Do for a living? I take it she wasnt thrashing the hay?

For me I think it's partly because it takes the shine off the individual names - e.g. Lily and May are both pretty names in their own right, but as Lily-May they become insipid and flimsy-sounding imo. Plus the same few names are often chosen (usually 2 syllable FN + short 'filler' MN) which means the names can often seem interchangeable - one school I taught in had a Lottie-Rose, a Lottie-Mae and a Lottie-Grace in the same smallish year group.

Double-barrelled names often don't flow together, and can be a bit of a mouthful. I've taught an Amelia-Lily, a Lily-Francesca and a Neveah-Grace - after the first few days they became Amelia, Lily and Neveah among both classmates and staff because it was so much quicker and easier to use the shortened version (especially with younger children - this was Year 1).

And putting my judgemental hat on for a moment, I have to admit I do often find them either cutesy or redneck/hillbillyish. I don't think they age well, and the child may ultimately end up dropping part of their name in order to be taken seriously as an adult. Personally I'd just plump for one name at the outset.

I don't like them because quite often very little thought appears to go into them. I mean x-May, x-Grace, x-Rose etc are very common (widespread!), so little thought is required there; at the same time, you see names like Charlotte-Emily which just look and sound terrible together and appear to be the result of parents being unable to make up their minds.

The other reason they bother me is because the hyphen is completely unnecessary. The Queen's sister was known as Princess Margaret Rose when she was young. Traditionally, 'Elsie-May' would be registered as 'Elizabeth May' or 'Elizabeth Mary' or 'Elizabeth Mabel' etc. 'Billy-Bob' would be 'William Robert'. You can use both names without registering a hyphen! You can use a hyphen without registering a hyphen!

Disclaimer: I have a traditional double name with no hyphen. My mother intended both names to be used.

All very corporate, burg

I don't subscribe at all to the idea that you're less likely to become a high court judge because of your name. But to me some names would make me automatically picture a 5 year old, and others would make me picture a 78 year old. Weird, isn't it?

I agree with the poster that these names don't age well and can sound too cutesy later on.

My tante Marie-Louise was always called by her full name!

Not true about hyphenated names not being "u", as many of Queen Victorias descendants had them,

And I use my middle name, not my first name so they definitely have a use too!

Lots of reasons that have already been said.

They tend to include a short and popular filler name - May is currently the big one for this. Leigh was popular a few years back. It just looks like it got shoved on the end with little thought. And it makes all the first names sound weirdly interchangeable - Daisy-May, Lily-May, Kacey-May.

Or it's two names that don't scan. I mean Francesca-Emily: just choose a name for goodness sake. It can make lovely names sound clunky.

I will never understand the need to give options with a name.
I know a few adults who have disliked their names, one feels he could never change it because he would be dishonouring his late parents, the others have chosen completely different names for themselves.
Changing your name isn't hard and you have all the options in the world to choose from.

Hyphenated names just sound daft to me. They are twee and cutesy and I often feel the parent has named the baby not the person particularly with the ones which are popular today baby Lily-May, Sophie-Rose, Daisy-Grace.

There is baby in the family with a double barrelled and made up name. I can't help but cringe inwardly when I hear it.

In my day we had to write our full name on the top of every single piece of paper we used in an exam. Don't know if this is still the case, but it put me off both hyphenated forenames and double-barrelled surnames!

Thanks for the feedback!

I have never considered a hyphenated name before but I'm currently on my 4th dd and just love the two names in thinking of together, it's a little Walton's I guess but for me it works as it a very pretty girly name.

I agree with what other have said though regarding the May/Mai, Rose, grace, Ellie, lily etc, I blinking hate them to!

I guess I may need to try it out for a while before I announce her name as I do wonder if I will end up dropping the second half of it myself for ease

No hints about the name, op?!!! Sounds like...???

Haha sorry..... The name I'm considering is ..........................
Lucy-Ellen

I think there both beautiful names, Lucy is my all time favorite girls name and the Ellen is after my nan (Mary-Ellen)

I just can't decide what to do, hyphenate or just go first and middle names

I would go with Lucy Ellen.

First and middle. Both lovely names, but hyphenating them sounds a bit... Dynasty to me. But Lucy Ellen Jones is a great name. I reckon if you did hyphenate you'd rarely say Lucy-Ellen, so I'd not hyphenate and introduce her as "Lucy Ellen" if you want to hear the names together.

"Not true about hyphenated names not being "u", as many of Queen Victorias descendants had them,"

I think that is why they sound too "try too hard" these days. Almost as if the parents want their children to "better themselves" by giving them posh sounding names, when all it does is backfire because everyone else think they sound a bit twee and (whispers) that word beginning with 'c'

Go with Lucy Ellen ...
Unless you are Ma Walton ...

I don't think Lucy-Ellen flows well. Lu-Ellen flows nicely, but is a bit 'barn dance'. Lucy Ellen is lovely.

It depends. If it sound Catholic or Irish or French then it is ok, (although not my style) but if it's like lulu-mae it's embarrassing for everybody.

Anne-Marie or Marie-Claire or Anne+Saints name, as I said, not my bag but that is not the same.

I like Lucy-Ellen. I don't like all hyphenated names mind you! I'm quite strict, but this one works.

Weeeeellll it could definitely be worse than Lucy-Ellen. However I would still urge you to put down the hyphen. Lucy Ellen is lovely.

Leave out the hyphen. Lucy Ellen as two separate names. Lucy-Ellen doesn't work

Lucy ellen sounds american to me so odd if you're not american. Quite a sweet name though and unusual too.
Generally speaking hyphenated names are not used by the middle classes and this is where the prejudice comes from imo.

Lucy-Ellen is very waltons to me. Lucy followed by middle name Ellen is nice enough.

Lucy Ellen is nice but does run the risk of ending up as Luelllen eventually.

I never minded them but my cousin has one, she HATES the first half of her name & has changed the second half into a nn which is what she goes by.
But then that might be nothing to do with being hyphenated, some people just don't like their names. But it did put me off.
I have an unusual first name & for a large amount of primary school I wished I was called Kelly or Jessica just so I wouldn't have to discuss my name every time someone new heard I. I now love it though.

So basically, just do what you want & if other people don't like it then they needn't give their children the same name

I think Lucy Ellen is beautiful. I suspect Lucy-Ellen might end up as Luellen which is the epitome of hick.

On a different note I thought Cora-Beth Godsey was called Corbeth for ages and thought it was some out there American oddity.

Took me years to twig