Can we name our daughter Grace, or is our surname stopping us?

[EdenFalls2016]

Our daughter arrived yesterday - a Halloween baby we absolutely love the name Grace.

Our surname is Samuels-Grey (yes, we know it sounds like 'Samuel's grey')... We can't have a Grace Samuels-Grey, can we?

BikeRunSki - I don't think so... I don't think anyone really thinks if the child is graceful!

Congratulations! And I think the name is gorgeous.

Grace Samuels-Grey would be a sweet-natured WWI nurse

Ivy Samuels-Grey would be a feisty bluestocking campaigning for women's suffrage.

Scarlett Samuels-Grey would be a musichall actress.

Yes, I think Scarlett Samuels-Grey sounds quite good! She suits Scarlett!

Is it weird for my heart to ache? At how much I love her? being serious!

Ivy Samuels-Grey is lovely.

Grace is lovely with your surname.

Doesn't offend me.

can't see anything wrong with that. Always loved the name Grace

Go for it.

Sounds lovely.

But I do hope this isn't your real surname, you should be more aware about posting things about your child in their name so could ask for thread to be pulled.

Grace or Ivy absolutely fine (not Scarlett imo).

Congratulations

She would spend her life telling people her first name isn't Grey. To be honest, I think you need to let Grace go, or keep it for a middle name.

I can't understand why MN is so in thrall to the name Ivy, it's such an old fashioned, frumpy kind of name! 1950s down at heel housewives is what it reminds me of.

chocolateworshipper - is Scarlett not okay because you don't like it? That's fine! I just don't want to miss anything!

RiverTam - not just MN... People in general! It's popular! I think it's pretty...

Serendipity - but she wouldn't spend her whole life saying her full name? She'd introduce herself as Grace?

Scarlett Samuels-Grey is way too much of a mouthful.

Grace Samuels-Grey has great alliteration and assonance.

OP - But everyone who is introduced to her as Grace Samuels-Grey would think her name is Grey Samuels-Grey, and she'll get incredibly tired of putting them right.

It's always a bit awkward to end one name with the same sound as the beginning of the next - either the two words run together, or there has to be an artificial little pause.

Sam Mendes
John Noakes
Grace Samuels-Grey

I don't think it sounds GREAT when you say the whole name. But that's never been a big concern of mine anyway, since the whole name is rarely said all together. It's not like it's horrible or offensive or anything like that, just a bit clunky. And if I loved a first name, that wouldn't stop me.

I've been saying Grace Samuels-Grey out loud for about half a minute and I can't see anything wrong with it - it has a gorgeous rhythm and I can't hear the Grey Samuels Grey issue at all, although that may be my accent.

Scarlett Samuels-Grey doesn't have the same lovely balance of syllables as Grace Samuels-Grey, so sounds like more of a mouthful.

I like Ivy. Sounds pretty with your last name.

Too me, Grace is too religious background sounding and best as a middle name.

I don't think anyone would assume she was called Grey Samuels-Grey because Grey is not a name. Saying Grace Samuels.... might sound a little bit like Grey Samuels but I think that people will get that it's Grace. To steal the examples from a PP, I don't think anyone hears Sam Mendes introduce himself and thinks he's called Sa.

We gave our sons double-barelled surnames. Since early teens they have dropped the first part of the surname and just used the second part, on the grounds that they hate having such a mouthful of a surname. Several of their friends have done the same thing. Luckily both their first names go fine with the last name. If your dd does the same, she'll be Grace Gray which sounds a bit odd, imo.

I think that's a fabulous name!

Congrats OP

I don't get the issue. Totally GFI.