[name]Just[/name] wanted to get some opinions on double first names. I’ve been pondering the name [name]Emma[/name] [name]Reese[/name], as a first name. But I’m not sure what to think. It’s easy enough to say, but is it tacky?
Usually, I think of double first names as hyphenated such as [name]Mary[/name]-[name]Jane[/name], [name]Emily[/name]-[name]Rose[/name]. I guess if it wasn’t so, I’d much prefer a double middle name (I like double middle names anyways). [name]Emma[/name] [name]Reese[/name] is nice!
I love the concept of a double first name and [name]Emma[/name] [name]Reese[/name] is a great name. I actually have a couple friends that have double names. The thing about double names though is that they will always be shortened to one of the names. My friend [name]Eva[/name] goes by just [name]Eva[/name] on her credit cards, id card, etc…
Anyway, [name]Emma[/name] [name]Reese[/name] is a really cute name!
Probably should have said [name]Eva[/name]'s full first name is [name]Eva[/name] [name]Marie[/name]. I think I deleted a sentence, haha.
If I’m being perfectly honest, I don’t like double first names very much. That’s not to say they’re bad, just that I wouldn’t use them personally. I just feel that one of the names always gets dropped (usually the second one) so it’s kind of like a middle name anyway. Except in the case of [name]Mary[/name] [name]Jane[/name], [name]Mary[/name] [name]Kate[/name] and company.
I should also say that while [name]Emma[/name] [name]Reese[/name] is cute in theory, when I say it out loud it sounds like “[name]Emery[/name]'s” – like “This is my daughter [name]Emery[/name]'s.” [name]Emery[/name]'s what? Or, like, the plural of emery boards (nail files)… I know, I’m weird.
[name]Emma[/name] [name]Reese[/name] is also very trendy (the first part being a name that’s already very popular, and the second a unisex name which is trendy right now) but if you are okay with that then more power to you! 
I love [name]Emma[/name], though over-done for me, however emma and reece together …when I say it…I end up hearing M. [name]Maurice[/name]. which is, I’m sure you’ll agree, just awful. The double name thing is very “southern” to me - but I kind of like it - I just don’t think [name]Emma[/name] and [name]Reece[/name] are a good match.
I don’t mind some double first names that are more traditionally paired together, like [name]Mary[/name]- combinations, or pairs that use a familiar middle name like “[name]Anne[/name]”, “[name]Jane[/name]” or “[name]Sue[/name]”. However, I do find the combination of [name]Emma[/name] [name]Reese[/name] somewhat odd when I say it, although a couple of previous posters seemed to like it (so that’s just my opinion). This may be in part because the two names don’t “seem” to fit together - [name]Emma[/name] being an old, traditional and very feminine name; and [name]Reese[/name] sounding much more masculine and modern. So it might work fine as just a first and middle name that pairs two very different styles, they don’t actually fit together as a joined name. In other words I don’t find the flow of the name to be that easy, and as the previous posters suggested, it does really sound like “Emmeries” or “M. [name]Maurice[/name]”! I think your daughter would have to clearly pause and take a little breath between the names in order for people to decipher what she is saying - and that really isn’t the best sort of double barrel name to have.
[name]Do[/name] you perhaps like the idea of using [name]Emma[/name] [name]Rose[/name]? The middle name might still get dropped in everyday use, but I think the combination is pretty and the name combination would be easier for people to recognize and use. [name]Just[/name] a thought.
Having just posted the above comment, it also occurs to me that there are celebrities like [name]Jennifer[/name] [name]Jason[/name] [name]Leigh[/name] that have combined feminine and masculine names in a way that seems to work. So I don’t know – I think perhaps the main issue is the way the two names sound together.
For instance, even though I slightly prefer the name [name]Emma[/name] to [name]Emily[/name], I think “[name]Emily[/name] [name]Reese[/name]” might flow better as a double name.
I don’t really care for double names. It does seem Southern, but more of the hickish part of Southern. At least that is my experience being raised in Eastern Kentucky.
Not a fan
I really dislike double barrel first names.
As a fan of double names myself, I quite like [name]Emma[/name] [name]Reese[/name]. I think it gives a classic beauty some modern flair. If you love it, I say go for it!
My husband and I gave our son a double first name and didn’t even mean to. His fn is [name]Benton[/name], mn [name]Grover[/name]. We intended to just call him [name]Benton[/name], but a lot of the time we call him by both names and a lot of our family does too. I don’t see anything wrong with double first names. I don’t see anything “hickish” about it at all. One of the first names that comes to mind when I think of double first names is [name]John[/name] [name]Michael[/name]. Definitely not “hickish”.
I’m not a huge fan of [name]Emma[/name] [name]Reese[/name] just because I think it’s hard to say. I have a cousin named [name]Emma[/name] [name]Rose[/name]. Super cute and pretty, but very popular. If your set on [name]Emma[/name] I’d probably put something like [name]Frances[/name] with it. [name]Emma[/name] [name]Frances[/name] is a great double name.
Good [name]Luck[/name]!
Well, I’m from the South where double names are not uncommon. I grew up with an [name]Amy[/name] [name]Lee[/name], and no one ever called her “[name]Amy[/name]”… because that wasn’t her name. I have a friend with three boys under the age of six, and TWO of them have doubles. Here it’s a non-issue; if you introduce yourself as “[name]George[/name],” people will call you [name]George[/name]; if you introduce yourself as “[name]George[/name] [name]Wilson[/name],” then people will call you [name]George[/name] [name]Wilson[/name]. shrug
That said, I think [name]Emma[/name] [name]Reese[/name] has a nice flow to it; [name]Emma[/name] is particularly popular for doubles, though. I know an [name]Emma[/name] [name]Grace[/name] and an [name]Emma[/name] [name]Kate[/name] off the top of my head. So if that’s not a big deal for you, I’d go for it.
(And speaking of the name [name]Reese[/name], I have a friend who went to high school with La Witherspoon, who was known as “[name]Laura[/name] [name]Jean[/name]” back then before Hollywood came calling.)
I think [name]Emma[/name] [name]Reese[/name] is lovely. If you love both names, I really don’t see any downside to using both on a regular basis. I was called [name]Lisa[/name] [name]Paige[/name] exclusively until I was ten and then decided I wanted to be just [name]Lisa[/name]. Then in high school I went back to [name]Lisa[/name] [name]Paige[/name] because I felt it was more distinctive. I technically do have a second middle name (my mother’s maiden name) but it never gets used. All my legal documents, credit cards, etc. list my name as [name]Lisa[/name] [name]Paige[/name] Lastname. You’re child is going to be called what YOU tell people to call them. Tell people her name is [name]Emma[/name] [name]Reese[/name] and she’ll be [name]Emma[/name] [name]Reese[/name]… call her [name]Emmie[/name] or [name]Emma[/name] or Emree and that’s who she’ll be. I tell people my name is [name]Lisa[/name] [name]Paige[/name] and that’s what they call me. If I get, just “[name]Lisa[/name]” (and it does happen- new teachers, people I’ve just met) I tell people I go by [name]Lisa[/name] [name]Paige[/name]. Some of my close friends and family call me [name]Lise[/name] or [name]Lee[/name] or LP. But other than that, it’s [name]Lisa[/name] [name]Paige[/name]. And I’ve never had a serious issue with it. I’ve also seen an increase in double names recently. I know two little girls named [name]Mary[/name]-[name]Claire[/name], I know an [name]Anna[/name]-[name]Mae[/name] who’s my age, an [name]Anna[/name]-[name]Lee[/name] who’s six, a [name]Sara[/name] [name]Beth[/name], a ten year old who goes by [name]Hannah[/name] [name]Rose[/name] (I live in the Northeast). So it’s not that uncommon. Use what you love!
[name]Emma[/name] [name]Reese[/name] isn’t my style but I see absolutely nothing wrong with the name. It’s a good balance of classic and modern.
I really like the idea as long as it sounds modern and not hickish. My favorite double names are [name]Ivy[/name] [name]June[/name], [name]Cora[/name] [name]Eve[/name], and [name]Lily[/name] [name]Rose[/name].