Does anyone on here have or have experience with a double barrel first name? [name_f]Do[/name_f] you love it or hate it? [name_f]Do[/name_f] you go by both or only one? [name_f]Do[/name_f] you have issues as far as important documents go? And do you prefer a hyphenated name or just two names, like two middle names? Thanks for your help!!
My name is [name_f]Brandi[/name_f]-[name_u]Lynn[/name_u]
1.) I’ve always liked it and never thought too hard about it.
2.) I go by [name_f]Brandi[/name_f]-[name_u]Lynn[/name_u]
3.) I’ve never had an issue with documents or anything like that
4.) My name is hyphenated legally so I’ve always hyphenated it. I think the hyphen helps with documents and such. My middle name is [name_f]Nicole[/name_f] so I was born [name_f]Brandi[/name_f]-[name_u]Lynn[/name_u] [name_f]Nicole[/name_f] and the hyphen helps with any confusion there as well.
My name is [name_f]Gia[/name_f]-Waihan. I honestly love it because I have two names to choose from to go by. Currently, I’m known as [name_f]Gia[/name_f], but I’ve been buttering up my peers and getting them used to [name_f]Gia[/name_f]-Waihan for a while as I’m planning to try out Waihan in a year or two.
For me there is no problem with significant documents. As long as I use the hyphen I’ve had no problems at all during my lifetime. I definitely prefer the hyphenated name, as it helps separate both from my middle name considerably. [name_f]Gia[/name_f] is a name my parents liked for my Italian side, and Waihan was my mother’s name. I love that I have the opportunity to use either name or both depending on who I am with or where I am!
Two of my kids go by double-barrel names, just without the hyphen. They are their first and middle names, they just go by both. I love it, and so far so do the kids. Occasionally people who don’t know will call them just by their first, but the kids are quick to inform them that it’s “[name_f]Nina[/name_f] [name_f]Belle[/name_f]” and not “[name_f]Nina[/name_f].” (That was an example, not my kid’s real name.)
Legally they are both, but when doctors, dentists, and legal officials need to refer to their names we don’t mind if they use just the first.
If you want a double-barrel, go for it! I think it’s charming.
1 Like
I have a double barreled name and go by the full name, never just one. It hasn’t caused any issues for me and legal documents. Mind you I live in a [name_m]French[/name_m] Canadian community where many women my age have a double barreled name starting with “[name_f]Marie[/name_f]”, so this may be different in your area.
Awesome!! Thanks ladies! I am considering a double barrel name with a hyphen plus a middle name. I don’t like the idea of two middle names so I think the hyphen would work best. Silly question, but how do you monogram things with 4 initials?!? ”
1 Like
- I don’t personally have a double-barrel, but I knew (for a short time) a family who named their son Mich@el-Kell@n. They called him Mich@el-Kell@n consistently, but nobody got that he had a double-barrel, and he always got called [name_u]Michael[/name_u] (or even shorter, something like [name_m]Mikey[/name_m]). He was about a year old when I met the family. According to one of my coworkers at the time (who knew them better than I ever did), it sounds like they had so much frustration with it that they regretted calling him the double-barreled Mich@el-Kell@n.
- In general, if the double-barrel works (and doesn’t come across as a cutesy southern name, like [name_f]Daisy[/name_f]-[name_u]Lou[/name_u] or dated like [name_f]Mary[/name_f]-[name_f]Jane[/name_f]), I’m a big fan of them. I’ve loved [name_f]Ella[/name_f]-[name_f]Kate[/name_f], [name_f]Evie[/name_f]-[name_f]Claire[/name_f]/[name_f]Eva[/name_f]-[name_f]Claire[/name_f]/[name_f]Eve[/name_f]-[name_f]Claire[/name_f], [name_f]Emmy[/name_f] Roo (as a nn for something like [name_f]Emmeline[/name_f] [name_u]Ruby[/name_u]), etc., for years (plus your [name_f]Ava[/name_f]-[name_u]Reese[/name_u], which I think is adorable, so modern, and so sweet!). I also have a thing for [name_m]French[/name_m] double-barrels starting with [name_f]Anne[/name_f]- ([name_f]Anne[/name_f]-[name_f]Sophie[/name_f], [name_f]Anne[/name_f]-[name_f]Claire[/name_f], etc.). (I don’t know if little Mich@el-Kell@n liked his name, though!)
- If I ever used them, I’d probably do a mixture of [name_f]Anne[/name_f]-[name_f]Sophie[/name_f] (or [name_f]Anne[/name_f]-[name_f]Claire[/name_f]), [name_f]Annie[/name_f], [name_f]Sophie[/name_f]/[name_f]Soph[/name_f] (or [name_f]Claire[/name_f]), etc., or even same with a [name_m]John[/name_m] _____ double barrel (like [name_m]John[/name_m] [name_m]Caleb[/name_m] or [name_m]John[/name_m] [name_m]Benjamin[/name_m])–[name_m]Jack[/name_m], [name_u]Cal[/name_u]/[name_m]Ben[/name_m], [name_m]Caleb[/name_m]/[name_m]Benjamin[/name_m], [name_m]John[/name_m] [name_m]Caleb[/name_m]/[name_m]John[/name_m] [name_m]Benjamin[/name_m], etc. But I don’t know how I’d enforce it.
- Not sure how legal documents go, but enough people seem to have hyphenated names that I assume it’s not a huge problem? [name_m]Don[/name_m]'t know for sure, though!
- If I were going to use a double-barrel, I’d do -_ ______. In general, I am a huge proponent of two middles, and would definitely do two middle names if I had a single first name (like [name_f]Felicity[/name_f], [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f], [name_f]Anna[/name_f], [name_f]Cara[/name_f], [name_f]Claire[/name_f], or [name_f]Violet[/name_f]), but I’d still stick to three names regardless if I wanted a double barrel ([name_f]Anne[/name_f]-[name_f]Sophie[/name_f] [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f] [name_f]Lilac[/name_f] just seems inordinately long!!!). But if I wanted a double barrel, I’d definitely hyphenate (like [name_f]Ava[/name_f]-[name_u]Reese[/name_u] [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f], as opposed to [name_f]Ava[/name_f] [name_u]Reese[/name_u] [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f]).
Good luck!
My given name is double-barreled (without hyphen). I’ve always loved it, because the names are ordinary alone, but are “me” when combined. Nevertheless, I often go by one or the other. E.g., the first at school and the latter at home, but both with close family and friends. I’ve never had any issues with documents other than having the second part misreported as a middle name. I prefer my name in its entirety.
1 Like
Thank you! I think maybe where [name_u]Michael[/name_u] and [name_m]Kellan[/name_m] are both longer names is why it doesn’t work maybe? I definitely think double barrel names, especially if using a hyphen, are much nicer with shorter names. I am in love with [name_f]Ava[/name_f]-[name_u]Reese[/name_u] and [name_f]Evie[/name_f]-[name_f]Claire[/name_f] or [name_f]Evie[/name_f]-[name_u]Reese[/name_u]…but I do think of [name_f]Evie[/name_f] more as a nn…would [name_f]Evie[/name_f]-[name_u]Reese[/name_u] age as well as [name_f]Ava[/name_f]-[name_u]Reese[/name_u]?
1 Like