Double First Name

We just found out we are having a girl this summer :ribbon: [name_f]My[/name_f] husband’s family has the tradition of having two middle names and we followed this tradition with our first two babies. Back before we knew our second was a boy, we agreed on the middle name [name_f]Betsie[/name_f] [name_f]June[/name_f] (after both of our maternal grandmothers) but never found any first names that we really loved for a girl. Now that we know we are having another girl, I have started to fall in love with [name_f]Betsie[/name_f] [name_f]June[/name_f] as a double first name instead. Breaking the tradition is not a concern for us at all but I am worried about the double first name being too much? Our first two have fairly simple, traditional names so for us this would be a little “out there”. [name_m]Just[/name_m] wanting to hear others’ opinions on double first names, especially those who have two first names!

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I live in Northwest [name_f]Florida[/name_f], and double firsts/double middles are fairly common. [name_f]My[/name_f] daughter-in-law, for example, is [name_f]Georgia[/name_f] Marie-Ellen.

If you love [name_f]Betsie[/name_f] [name_f]June[/name_f], then use it! It’s adorable, and she’ll have so many options as an teen/adult if she moves away from it. Among the (still) sea of Olivias and Evelyns, she’ll be her own person.

Double first names depend on the two names that you want to pair (I don’t have double firsts myself).
[name_f]Betsie[/name_f] would look out of place on a young adult though. Keep in mind that some people might read it as bestie too.

I’m personally not fond of it, but it’s also something I’m not used to. I know girls who go by their first name and middle name - so, in your scenario that would be first name Betsie, middle name June, called Betsie June, and I think that looks much neater and more conventional than a double first name. Betsie is really sweet, and I love June’s beautiful simplicity, but together they feel very cutesy and a bit childish to me, so I prefer them as a first and middle for that reason as well.

From experience, expect to rarely if ever hear the second name of the double name. This might be different if you live in an area where this is a popular / traditional / established naming convention, but certainly from my experience people only ever use the first part
and drop the second anyway to the point where there is no point.

I love it. Not sure if I would just put [name_f]June[/name_f] in the middle name spot to be easier.

Betsie June is sweet and bright and it feels classic enough that it doesn’t sound out there! It’s not overly long and rolls easily off the tongue :slight_smile:

The other ‘safe’ option would be to do Elizabeth June as first and middle and then call her Betsie June as a nickname :person_shrugging: or to do Betsie June as a first and middle. I’d just consider if you like Betsie as a stand alone, as June might get dropped?

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Congrats on baby girl!

I personally don’t like double-barrel names but I do think [name_f]Betsie[/name_f] [name_f]June[/name_f] goes better as a first name if you’re going to use it.

[name_f]Betsie[/name_f] [name_f]June[/name_f] really rolls off the tongue well, and is adorable! Both names are traditional enough on their own that I could see her fitting in well with siblings with traditional classic names. Also the whole combination is short enough that it is a bit more likely for people to say both halves. This isn’t to say that some people won’t call her just [name_f]Betsie[/name_f], but it is more likely for them to say [name_f]Betsie[/name_f] [name_f]June[/name_f] than if the second half was something longer.

I want to suggest using the spelling [name_f]Betsy[/name_f] instead. Autocorrect for me kept changing [name_f]Betsie[/name_f] to Bestie, As you are using a double name that might already throw some people off, using the dominate spelling of [name_f]Betsy[/name_f] means that she’ll only have to clarify one element about her name (that it is [name_f]Betsy[/name_f] June), rather than having to correct both the spelling of [name_f]Betsie[/name_f] and that it is a double name.

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[name_f]Betsie[/name_f] [name_f]June[/name_f] is fine! [name_f]Lovely[/name_f], even, given how meaningful the choice is. I understand the concern with a double barrel but it’s no longer than [name_f]Natalie[/name_f] or [name_f]Lydia[/name_f] to say? I grew up knowing a girl with a double barrel (Sarah Jane) and she had no issues with it. If you wanted you could still add a second middle, but the significance of [name_f]Betsie[/name_f] [name_f]June[/name_f] (especially if you adore it) is enough to make it worth the risk.

At one point, there was a berry on here who had a dozen kiddos, and almost half of them went by double barrels… I think she opened my mind to how usable double barrels can be… I wouldn’t make it too long because then it’s hard to enforce (I knew a family who had a [name_m]Michael[/name_m] [name_m]Kellen[/name_m] and they could not get people to call him by both), but I think if the second middle is short, it’s easier for people to accept that it’s a double barrel and she’s not just [name_f]Betsie[/name_f].

Good luck!

I personally would probably want my third child’s name to match the first two in style. If it is a tradition of using double barrel middle names, I’d use [name_f]Betsie[/name_f] [name_f]June[/name_f] and a first name similar in style to your first daughter’s. If you want to call her [name_f]Betsie[/name_f] [name_f]June[/name_f], then do. [name_m]Plenty[/name_m] of people go by their middle name. That way she has the option to go by her first name during a different stage of her life. It’s difficult to suggest a first name not knowing your style and other children’s names.

I used a double middle name, but I also considered using a double first name instead. I don’t think [name_f]Betsie[/name_f] [name_f]June[/name_f] is too out there. Both names are classics, and together they sound sweet and refreshing.

[name_f]Betsie[/name_f] [name_f]June[/name_f] is adorable! I’m not crazy about hyphenated names, but in this case without the hyphen, I’m totally in favor of the double first name. [name_f]Betsie[/name_f] [name_f]June[/name_f] is sweet and definetely not “too much” or “too unusual”. [name_f]Betsie[/name_f] sounds very traditional to me. It’s a variant of the gorgeous classic name [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]. [name_f]June[/name_f] is also very gentle, simple and elegant. [name_f]Betsie[/name_f] [name_f]June[/name_f] has a romantic vintage vibe. I love that this name is very meaningful for your family!
Nevertheless, I believe that you need to consider that [name_f]Betsie[/name_f] [name_f]June[/name_f] will probably be called [name_f]Betsie[/name_f] most of the time outside the family. Eventually, one day, your daughter may actually decide to only use the first part of her double name. Would that bother you or not?

At the end, if you love [name_f]Betsie[/name_f] [name_f]June[/name_f] for your baby and you believe it is perfect for your baby, please use it!

Congrats :tada:

I live in [name_f]South[/name_f] [name_f]East[/name_f] [name_f]England[/name_f] and goodness double first names are so common! I know tons and tons of children with double first names. Honestly everyone I know when it is a double first name is known by the whole name it’s just you do tend to find that it’s always something [name_f]Rose[/name_f] (or Mae) where I am so the [name_f]Rose[/name_f] feels a little redundant and tiresome. Whereas I think [name_f]Betsie[/name_f] [name_f]June[/name_f] feels a little different as even though vintage names are a huge trend where I am [name_f]June[/name_f] is rare. I think [name_f]Betsie[/name_f] [name_f]June[/name_f] feels sweet, nostalgic and a little bit country. I think I would prefer [name_f]Betsy[/name_f] [name_f]June[/name_f] spelling wise I also feel [name_f]Betsy[/name_f] is more intuitive so you wouldn’t face as many issues. But honestly this name is very classic and doesn’t feel bold so I think would work. I do like for a more safer option @Greyblue idea of [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] [name_f]June[/name_f] with the nickname [name_f]Betsie[/name_f] [name_f]June[/name_f].

[name_f]Hope[/name_f] this helps

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I have two aunts and a SIL with double barrelled names - and they get their full (two) names said by others at least 80% of the time. The rest of the time they get the initials of the two names or a funny nickname from smooshing/mixing up the two names.

In your case, you should consider the possibility that BJ might be used as a go-to nickname and you may not want that!?

While I like double firsts, to minimise the BJ threat (lol), I’d go Elizabeth/Elisabeth June (plus a second middle) and then say “she goes by Betsy June” (and this easier spelling, I think). She still might get BJ sometimes but at least they’re not really her initials. She’ll probably get Beej, Boone etc too from her buddies.