Can we double barrel these surnames?

[spiderinthemirror]

We'd like to double barrel our surnames for our baby, and will take the double barrelled name ourselves when we get married.

However - I'm not sure we can make it work as one of the surnames is an O' name (think O'Brian, O'Conner, O'Malley type name).

The other surname is a simple two syllable name (like Davis or Johnson). Can you double barrel a name with the apostrophe?

Many thanks.

Easier to go hybrid. Eg Damalley, Daconner, Jobrian etc. Gets rid of the awkward O this way.

Thanks, that's what I thought. It sounds odd to me but it seems like the only way to go really.

Put th 'o' surname first

O'connor-Jones sounds better than Jones-O;Connor

I'd go for something like O'Malley-Johnson
Ditching the O' is a bit dodgy as it's losing part of the irish heritage of the name.

Would you ditch the Mc if the surname was McDonnell?

Oh so you think it could work ok double barrelled as it is? I'd much prefer that, I just haven't ever heard it before.

It may be a lifetime of nightmare form filling in through, with an apostrophe and a hyphen. Maybe it's silly and excessive.

Yes, I think either way sounds great!

Yes it works either way around

Oh great, thank you, that is a relief ☺️

O'Malley-Davis sounds good! Or even Davis-O'Malley sounds fine.

I think Lucy O'Brian-Johnson sounds easier that Lucy Johnson-O'Brian which makes the Johnson sound more like a middle name.

Either merge them into one name or just choose one. Double barrel is such a mouthful. What happens when your baby grows up and gets married - will their spouse tag on their name too for a triple barrel? O'Connor-Jones-Thirdname?

Do it in alphabetical order. Whichever way that is!!

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should...

I'm Irish so know a few double barrelled O' names...the ones I know tend to put the O' name first - eg O' Connor Smith. It depends on the names really, seems to work well if the second name is one syllable as above. Sometimes it's the other way around - there was a former Irish politician with the surname Cruise O'Brien. I agree with a pp that it can be harder to distinguish between surname or middle name in that case, but, again, it depends on the name.

I also know someone who has two O' names together, something like Lucy O'Brien O'Connor.

I live near a shop with a Johnson O'Reilly kind of name and it sounds fine that way.

O'Connor Davis sound fine. I wouldn't bother with the hyphen.

O’Leary - Johnson or something like that sounds OK, it would be less cumbersome if you dropped the O, but it’s OK anyway.

I agree actually. Adds necessary complication

I'd do it this way too personally

Dawn Porter changed to Dawn O’Porter when she married Chris O’Dowd. I’ve always thought that was great

I thought it was a silly idea, and showed little understanding of the meaning of the O' part of a name. But they seem to like it and that's what matters I guess.

Loads of people in Ireland combine O' names with other surnames and it works just fine. It's not 'awkward' as a pp says, it's just normal. Don't overthink it.

I knew someone who double-barrelled a name with O'Sullivan. It was fine.

I don't like the practice of combining a name (eg Marshall and Johnson to Marson). I feel that the name is a mangled surname which honours nobody's heritage. I appreciate that others feel differently!

I think you can double barrel them but I'd probably just use both without the hyphen.

Firstname Middlename O'Malley Johnson.
Firstname Middlename Johnson O'Malley.

I agree that the hyphen is just not necessary.
Context defines what is the surnames part of the name.
I have quite an easy name but there are 2 ways of spelling it and it’s never been a problem explaining this. DGDaughter has a double barrelled name but no hyphen.
Until relatively recently hyphens we’re rarely used with surnames.