White-Knight/Knight-White... We can't, can we?

[duvetttpol]

DP's and I's first baby together. WWYD WRT the surname?

No I wouldn't. I'd give the baby the mum's surname.

No, sorry - too funny (and a bit of a tongue twister)
I understand how you feel (DP and I are currently TTC; we are married, but both kept our own names, and we will put a double-barrel on any future DC). So I understand why you want both names, but I don't think they 'go' that well. Alternatives that people I know or know of have done:

• Created a mash-up;
• Picked a new surname (favourite place? Name of first road you lived on together? Name of pub you met in? Lovely name from further back in the family tree?) and both taken it, then given it to the child;
• Given the kids different surnames. One couple I know has 3 daughters: DD1 has mum's surname; DD2 has dad's; DD3 has mum's; and there was no DC4 but they would have carried on alternating.

Not sure if any of those ideas wirk for you - they wouldn't be for everyone - but I don't believe you have to give up your name if it means a lot to you.

Or, alternatively, White-Knight could probably be styled out quite well

If I wanted both, I would probably put one as an extra middle name rather than double barrelling them.

Knight-White sounds worse than White-Knight to me so I wouldn't go for that order either with a hyphen or without.

That is just too much, use something else.

I love it! Think it's cool! Go for it.

Do it!

I wouldn't double barrel though. I'd put them together as one name, so Whiteknight rather than White-Knight.

That way it's more like those other surnames which are two words - like Greengrass, Whitehead, Fairbrother, Winterbottom, Cartwright etc. Perfectly normal. Yours is just cooler

I actually love White-Knight! But then my teenage boyfriend was a Darling which I always thought was an awesome surname (I kept my own name when marrying DH though, as I preferred my name to his).

Wight is a good amalgamation though.

Ooh, I like mini pies suggestion of Whiteknight, no hyphen.

Ooh no I wouldn't - "white knight" has a specific meaning and (although I don't think it is a particularly negative meaning) I wouldn't want my DC to have to live with it.

My DC have DH's surname, couldn't care less, in fact I quite like having my independent name!

But there are loads of surnames with specific meanings. Absolutely loads.

Baker
Butcher
Smith
Farmer
Carter
Fields
Meadows
Banks
Rivers
Race
Waters
Woods
Black
etc

Really? Have you not even read that great classic Lord of the Rings?

No - I started the first two but I stopped reading about halfway through each one. I managed to plough through the Hobbit when I was little, but didn't enjoy it. I loved CS Lewis, especially Narnia when I was little, which led me to Tolkien, but I just couldn't get into the Hobbit and can't get into LOTR. Too much detail for me I think, though I know that's what is supposed to make Tolkien special. I just found it a bit boring and droney. Sorry Tolkien fans!

Fair enough.
If you read half of Fellowship of the Ring you should have come across the wights. They're in the Tom Bombadil part early on.

I'm not Tolkien fan, particularly, just read them.

Fairer to say that all surnames have specific meanings, minip. Nothing derogatory or silly in that list.

I think Whiteknight is the way to go here

I feel oddly compelled to repeat myself here as I fear a lot of you folks are evidently a bit out of the loop on this one. Apologies in advance for caps lock.

WHITE KNIGHT IS A TERM OF ABUSE NOWADAYS

I agree that phonetically it sounds rather nice, so it is a shame, but seriously - it's a term of abuse used and understood widely (particularly online) and in all likelihood kids now will recognise it as such. It would be unkind to bestow it upon a child unless you felt you had no other option.

Outs self totally. if I married DP that would be the surname if we double barrelled. Except he is double barrelled already.

I did NOT know it's a term of abuse! Why?

According to Urban fictionary it's when a guy tries to impress a woman and treats her as a Princess. So it means a guy who's a bit of a dick in front of a girl he likes.

Still makes an awesome surname.

No. Sorry but you just can't. It would be terrible.

@MakeItStopNeville that's not how it's used.

It's used (by sad misogynists) to mean a weak/pathetic man that pretends to stick up for women in a desperate bid to get laid because he has no other redeeming features.

I can absolutely assure you of this - this is how it is understood by most familiar with millennial lexicon.

And it really does not mean a guy who's a bit of a dick in front of a girl he likes, that I'm afraid is a gross misunderstanding on your part!

Haha! To think this was the first @ 'd MN message I received!

Duly noted. Self flagellation for said gross misunderstanding has duly begun.

Backs out of thread sniggering at millennial lexicon. A putdown that patronizes AND makes you feel old. Double whammy!

Sorry, that was deeply pompously worded on reflection

What about making up a nice new family surname that you can all have.

I loved that you said millennial lexicon!

Poor old Neville

Who knew you could feel so ancient at 41?!