To have a double first name or have as a middle name?

[GAW19]

We have fallen in love with a name but unsure if to double-barrel it or not.

Maisie-Ray

The more we say it, the more we love it all as one first name. She will have a 2 syllable surname beginning with W.

Thanks everyone

Everyone else is skirting round this but the name Maisie-Ray is very chavvy. It will immediately pigeonhole her into a particular role. I would realllly advise you to avoid it. At the very least make Ray a middle but really it's such a filler/common middle name you may as well not bother... think of something else. This girl will grow into a woman. I personally don't like Maisie either, it's unbearably twee but at least on its own it's a name.

I borderline think this post is fake because surely everyone knows how society views names like Maisie-Ray, Elsie-Mae etc...

I wouldn’t stress too much about the whole ‘can you imagine a bank manager called Maisie-Rae’ type messages. Lots of kids have similar names. I’m a Poppy in my late 40’s. When my name started to become popular as a baby name over a decade ago there were lots of similar snidey posts. I’m a solicitor, no one has ever laughed in my face or declined my representation because my name ‘doesn’t fit’. It’s thinly veiled contempt for a name that isn’t considered MC by MN. Names do give off an impression before you meet someone - that could be Ptolemy or Gracie-May or whatever in between. It’s a first impression which is quickly forgotten. Unless it’s really fucking stupid or offensive, obviously.

I think you made a mistake asking on here. If you love it, go for it.
As you asked... I would not have a double first name. I also think Maisie is a bit twee....

@diddlediddle not every name is automatically chavvy just because it is double barrel. don't 'pigeon hole' everyone because your middle name isn't great.

Awful.
Sorry

In my work I meet a lot of children. I know a lot of Something-Rae or Something-Mae. I do perceive those names as very down-market. Sorry.

@RuleConfusion

I wouldn’t stress too much about the whole ‘can you imagine a bank manager called Maisie-Rae’ type messages. Lots of kids have similar names. I’m a Poppy in my late 40’s. When my name started to become popular as a baby name over a decade ago there were lots of similar snidey posts. I’m a solicitor, no one has ever laughed in my face or declined my representation because my name ‘doesn’t fit’. It’s thinly veiled contempt for a name that isn’t considered MC by MN. Names do give off an impression before you meet someone - that could be Ptolemy or Gracie-May or whatever in between. It’s a first impression which is quickly forgotten. Unless it’s really fucking stupid or offensive, obviously.

I know lots of MC girls called "Poppy". It is a name of a flower and it is traditional to call girls after flowers which is why there isn't an issue with the name however common it is.

I actually know a Maisie-Rae in real life. Although her name is spelled Maizii-Raii.

I wouldn’t choose it personally.

Definitely middle name. Double barrelled names become inconvenient and rarely used.

Is this your first baby? Your post really comes across as someone who hasn't spent much time googling about on baby names or current trends... to be horribly blunt, both the hyphen and the use of Ray as the second element are pretty naff, overused, and as a result, seen as downmarket. You may have just 'discovered' this name but you are very much not the first and it really, really does NOT sound fresh and interesting, etc.

Hyphens sound silly and fussy and always always end up with just the first part being used. Maisy is fine on its own, just call her that.

Rae/Ray as a hyphen-part or a first name is done to death, along with May/Mae. Don't use it. And don't use the hyphen. Give her a more interesting middle name.

redmarauder it is common now but it certainly wasn’t back in the 70’s/ 80’s - my hesdmaster absolutely refused to believe it was my name and demanded my dm being in my birth certificate as he considered it so unlikely. There are still many comments on other ‘traditional’ based names such as Clover, Lettice etc. These names might be the equivalent of Poppy or Daisy 10 years down the line but that doesn’t stop people making snobby comments about it now.

God, don't double barrel it - looks and sounds awful. The amount of Ella-May's, and Lily-May's I know is bizarre - don't get it at all.

I'm always suspicious of a fake post when the OP never comes back.

Definitely one for the hoe down and dosey doe. It's awful, sorry. If you must have it, definitely middle name.

Oh please don't do that to your child.

Oh and I've also just realised just much it sounds like misery

I'll second (probably) everyone here and say have Maisie as a first name, with Ray (preferably the more feminine Rae spelling) as the middle name. You can still call her Maisie Rae on a day to day basis, but unfortunately hyphenated first names do get judged a bit in this country (I think they are more commonplace in the US). Maisie Rae gives her more options as an adult to me.

It's horrible. Call her Maisie and Rae middle name if you must but Maisie-Ray is awfulZ

Thank you everyone for your opinions and help!

For people accusing it of being a fake post for 'never coming back'... I posted it this morning, it's now 7pm haha. I also have an 18 month old to look after so don't spend 24/7 on MN like some people

Tbh, I lived in Essex with some very unusual names being thrown around, for example, my niece goes to school with someone called Royal-Praise I now live up north in a very old people town, so I don't really hear a lot of names. I don't have friends with children and all my family have very traditional names. I don't google the hell out of popular names or trends as tbh, I really can't be bothered with it.
I've never met or known of anyone with the name Maisie, or the middle name Ray/Rae so didn't realise how popular they were.

I'd ditch the -Ray altogether.

Maisie isn't a name I'd choose but it is ok. Friend of a friend has a Maisie, and she's not chavvy at all.

I'd just use Maisie-Ray as a nn, and give a different middle name. Maisie Rachel Surname or something.

Agree in general that the bit after the hyphen usually gets dropped.

You might as well call her Trendy-McChavface.

Maisie is a diminutive if Margaret. If you want to be kind to her, put Margaret on her birth certificate and call her Maisie as a NN. Give her Ray as a middle name if you must, but spell it the feminine way; Rae.

Friend of a friend's Maisie is an adult. Julie Walters has an adult Maisie, Darcey Bussell 's real name is Maisie.

I see no point of calling someone Margaret if they are only ever going to be called Maisie.

My first thought was the Pauline Quirke series "Maisie Raine" but that's years ago now and most people won't have heard it.

I agree though that nearly all of the primary school children I've met with double-barreled names have dropped the second part of the name. Two separate names would be better, I think.

I think you have to be a real purist to say Maisie should be Margaret - and that's coming from a massive pedant! Maisie is always a standalone these days and most people (including the mother of a Maisie I knew) don't know it can be a nickname for anything.

Maisie Ray (first name, middle name) is fine, especially if she's introduced as Maisie. It might not be too everyone's taste on MN but I think it's perfectly nice and ordinary. Plenty of Maisies across the social spectrum. I agree the hyphen makes it look down-market, as would screaming "Maisie-Ray" across the supermarket.

Darcey Bussell was born a Marnie not a Maisie though.