To hypen or not to hypen...that is the question

[Pondlife87]

My husband and I are expecting a little girl on 18th May.
My husband's Mum passed away three years ago and we are going to name her 'Lucy' after his Mum. Initially, even though my husband wanted to name her Lucy after his Mum, he said it may be too hard to just call her Lucy as it may be a bit raw. Neither of us were keen on hyphenated names, but we decided to call her Lucy-Rose so it would feel less raw for my husband.
I have totally fallen in love with the name, but my husband has now said he has really gone off the hyphen and thinks we should just use Rose as a middle name.
I know people are unlikely to call her both names, but I have two friends who already frequently refer to her as 'Lucy-Rose' or 'LR', so it feels really weird for me to drop it.
Any advice?

Pondlife87 It’s funny how my girl’s names have worked. One just gets called by her first first name. The other gets called her full name, her first first name, but also her second first name. It all works and she responds to them all. Sounds confusing but it really isn’t. Both girls have one so called ‘normal’ name, and one that’s a bit more unusual. I figure that as they grow they can choose whichever name they prefer to be referred to. Both of your names are beautiful.

develop the black hole photo*

Genuine intrigue here so please don’t misunderstand my questioning as negativity. For those with children with two first names- how does it work without a hyphen? Did the registrar question it? I didn’t know it was allowed without a hyphen as technically how can two names be ‘first’ names. Do you find that a lot of people add a hyphen or bump off the second first name?

I think Lucy Rose (without the hyphen) is lovely and you can still call her both when addressing her. I know a lot of parents who call their children by their first and middle name :)

Cbeebiesrehab, I've never understood it myself, but my mum has two (unhyphenated) names as her first name. It's not been a problem for 70-odd years, even if it is confusing!

Lucy is lovely. Please do not call her Lucinda or Lucille or Lucia or Dawn or any of the other suggestions.
Call her Lucy or Lucy Rose, no hyphen.
Hyphenated names are considered downmarket in the UK.

Hi. The registrar didn’t question it. I didn’t think at the time that it wasn’t allowed, so if they’d have questioned it I think that would’ve thrown me. Like I said, one daughter tends to be known by her first first name, very occasionally by her full name. The other daughter is known by her full name, but also her first first name by some, but others call her only by her second first name as that’s what they prefer.

Quite often people try to hyphenate the names, but my daughters are old enough to either ignore or correct.

is that allowed legally? I din't know that.

Of course it’s allowed legally! Why ever would it not be?

I’d go for Lucy Rose btw and gives you the options of just Lucy or both together.

Lovely names btw. My dolls as a child were always called Lucy and Rose, Lucy is still my favourite girl’s name but I have 2 boys

I have a hyphenated name. No one calls me by my full hyphenate name, never has, even my parents just call me by the first part of my name. Therefore I may be bias, but genuinely don’t get the point of the hyphen unless you intend to use it.

I don't think a hyphenated name is basically chavvy, I think the super girly, cutesy, flowery names are. Not all hyphenated names have the same feel to me Emma-Louise or Anne-Marie for example.

I have a hyphenated name and hate it. Two 70s name together. I’ve always been called my two names as well. Some computer forms won’t recognise the hyphen, what’s else annoys me? It’s easy to rhyme. It never fits properly.

Lucy Rose is lovely

We gave dd 10 two first names with no hyphen, gave no middle name.
It’s been fine, she always writes both names but when asked sometimes just gives the first one. It’s her name she can do what she wants with it.

I wouldn’t go for the hyphen. I think Lucy-Rose is fine for a little girl but not so much for a middle aged woman? If Lucy is too raw for your DH then I think Lucille or Lucinda, with Rose as a middle name, would be lovely.

Lucy-Rose is lovely.