Is 5 names too much?

[Fleetw00d]

My OH and I are due a baby girl next week and we still don't have a set name! Think we have a first name but currently deciding whether to double barrel her surname as we're not married (two quite generic English surnames, first is 1 syllable and second is 2 so quite short), current first name choice is Zara so also quite short.
However I'm also quite a fan of 2 middle names but unsure about giving her two middle names and two surnames.

Do people think that a total of 5 names is a bit much and should we stick to one middle name and a double barrelled surname? (I would prefer to keep both surnames and drop a middle name).

Way too much in my opinion, one middle name is more than enough as they're never used anyway!

It really only matters on paperwork. She’ll only ever be called Zara Smith-Jones and that’s fine.
By the time she’s old enough to complete forms herself she’ll know her full name.
Suit yourself.

Think of the form-filling — poor thing will have to spend the rest of her life scrawling/typing/spelling out Zara Euphemia Kylie Watts-Barker or whatever, and trying to work out which boxes it'll all fit into.

It is fine as they'll only really use the three (first and two surnames) don't worry about form filling etc that's a very small issue

My wonderful younger brother had 5 names including our surname which was also a traditional boys name (George).

First name, our dads name, paternal grandpa, maternal grandpa, surname.

We used to laugh about it, he would abbreviate it to initials in form filling but was proud he got so many names.

Both my sons have 2 middle names, I did think 3 was pushing it, but only because we live on an island that requires multiple form filling for work permit purposes!

I think it’s fine if all the names are relatively simple.

Both my boys have 4 names. I haven't taken my husband's surname, so we could have done 5 names as well! lol

All of our boys names have a special meaning or are after someone significant in my and my husband's lives. So I personally see no issue with it!

I have a friend with similar who double barrelled her surname when she got married. But all quite simple names for example
Sarah Angela Rose Brown-Simpson

I have five names.

As a small child I was proud of them - my middle names are all family names and I liked that connection - but when I got older the kids at school saw all my initials on something and teased me. However, it was just one issue in the long list of reasons why I was bullied, so it probably wouldn’t make much difference to a more socially-acceptable child.

As an adult no one really cares, but I found it all a bit of a mouthful on my wedding day. I have fourteen syllables.

Oh, and forms where you need to put all the names (passport etc) are usually fine in terms of space.

Our DC has 5 names - 'First name', 'Middle name 1', 'middle name 2', 'double-barrelled surname'. I would have been happy with one middle name but DH and I both had a name special to us and who knows if we'd have more kids of that sex to use them so we just used both. DH also has 5 names with the same set-up, we both double-barrelled our names on marriage. It is long and I've had lots of rude comments about it even from the registrar when I registered the birth! However we like the names and figure it gives them lots of opportunities to use one of the other middle names when they're older if they don't like their first name or whatever. I think I'd try to stick to one middle name for any future ones really but wouldn't rule out using two again. I don't think it's a big deal and we used both the middle names to honour deceased family members which make them special to us and our families.

Thanks all, that's really helpful feedback! There's also a chance we get married at some point and I take his surname and we then change hers (still undecided on that!) The two middle names in question are both of our mums names so have a lot of meaning, both are quite simple. If we stuck with one middle name it would be the same as my middle name so again with meaning.

I gave my beautiful daughter who is now 6 months old 5 names - two middle and a double surname. I love it but I do loathe anything dull so it depends on your personality. I had some truly odd comments that were quite rude from a few people - one about length of name on passport, another about why would I pick a first name name that isn’t auto filled on WhatsApp ( algorithm has since learnt it). Do you, I’ll be it’s super stylish and lovely

I’ll BET it’s super stylish and lovely

Daughter has two middle names. First name is 2 syllables, first middle name is 2, second middle name is 1 and our surname is 4 syllables.

Flows very nicely. Helps that the first and middle names are all less than 4 letters each.

It's fine! We have some very long names in our family and it's no issue at all - it's not as if you need to fill out full names in forms six times a day.

I would just make sure the double barrelled surname doesn't exceed about 12 characters because it causes problems on some forms

My children all have 5 names each. I like it and each one has meaning. It’s only a couple of seconds more to add them on forms.

We have a double barrelled surname where both names are quite short. Our children have a short first name and longer middle name.

They don't use their middle names much so I don't think they would have notice the difference of having 2 middle names

As someone with 6 names, it’s better if names are short, otherwise your last middle name/surname ends up getting cut off on cards/documents/certificates etc.

In the U.K. middle names aren’t used much in my experience so it’s not an issue really. I used to leave them off everything except my passport and bank account, or use initials. Since moving overseas where I have to write my name out in full every time I do anything, I've found it a bit annoying.

I knew a bloke with 2 middle names and there was never enough room on the forms to fit it all in - was a right mess as passport and bank account had different names on - he ended up getting rid of one middle name in the end.

5 is overkill, sorry!

I would do three middle names, but I don't see a problem with two middle names and a double barrelled surname. I think that having both mothers' names included will be more meaningful. Especially as the names involved don't seem to be very long in themselves, I'd go for it.

Zara Lucy Elisabeth Smith Thompson sounds good to me. Zara is a great name!

Honestly I think even one middle name is usually a waste of time, the exception being to record the surname of the other parent - I.e. the parent who didn’t pass their name on to the child. Handy for passport control and for future generations checking historical records. Otherwise I don’t get the point, it never even occurred to me to choose a middle name. I am aware that I’m the exception compared to most posters here!

Far too many.

My ex had 5 names and it was a nightmare on our wedding day!