[name_m]Ever[/name_m] known or heard of anyone having a long “double-barrel” name that they actually go by regularly?
Something like [name_f]Gabriela[/name_f] [name_f]Margarita[/name_f], [name_f]Louisa[/name_f] [name_f]Marjorie[/name_f], [name_f]Liliana[/name_f] [name_f]Penelope[/name_f], [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] [name_m]Dominic[/name_m], etc.?
I have a couple combos I really like as double-barrels but I’m not sure if they are just a bit much.
The combos I have in mind are 3-4, 2-4 and 4-4 syllables.
Thoughts?
I know a woman with a 3-2 syllable double barrel – the first half is longer and unexpected but the second part is pretty common in double names (think [name_f]Marie[/name_f], etc). She always goes by the full thing. That’s the longest I can think of that I know personally, though I can think of historical figures like [name_f]Maria[/name_f] [name_f]Theresa[/name_f].
I think they are usable but might inevitably get shortened – especially if the child grows up to prefer just one of the names or a nickname for them. One of my cousins has a double-barrel name and she always went by the full thing as a kid, but now prefers just the first part of it.
I also think depending on the naming culture where you live, people may raise their eyebrows and find them a bit pretentious or royal-esque. However, I don’t think that makes them unusable, it would just depend if that would bother you too much.
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Sort of? I knew a Chrys4nthe El3na in school (so, 6 syllables in total) and although teachers and people who didn’t know her well used her full two names, everyone who was actually more familiar with her would shorten it to either a nickname or just one of the two names, since it’s just kind of… inconvenient in conversation to have to say something so long when referring to someone! So I guess it depends on who is using the name?
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I have but can’t remember the exact name. I think the majority of kids aren’t going to be extroverted/interested enough to correct people who are shortening it.
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I have encountered a Sienna-Lily who went by both, and a [name_f]Maria[/name_f] [name_f]Teresa[/name_f] who introduced herself as both (and from what I remember, alternated between being called one and both). Tbh though, even people with shorter double names haven’t really gone by both consistently
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I know a kid who was a [name_m]Christopher[/name_m] [name_m]Michael[/name_m] the III (first and middle), with the same name as his grandpa who went by [name_m]Chris[/name_m] and his dad who went by [name_m]Christopher[/name_m]. He originally went by the full [name_m]Christopher[/name_m] [name_m]Michael[/name_m], which actually wasn’t too cumbersome for me to use with him. At the young age of 2, he told his parents that he was just [name_m]Michael[/name_m], which he has now been known as since haha 
Not an official double barrel since it wasn’t his legal full first name, but the intent was for him to go by that, so it was a double barrel in essence haha. Untill he didn’t like it
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I know a Franc3-Ang3lina.
At first, I thought her name was [name_f]France[/name_f] since everybody was calling her that and I even called her [name_f]France[/name_f]. But then some were calling [name_f]Angelina[/name_f] and I got confused.
I was later formally introduced to her in a work event and she does try to go by her full name (which she loved), but It seems people automatically pick one and call her by that and she gave up on correcting them.
So I think lengthy double-barrels names will get shorten no matter how much the person love them or not.
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There are some double names that have built in nicknames. Maybe you could choose the nickname ahead of time.
[name_f]Maria[/name_f] [name_f]Teresa[/name_f]: [name_f]Maite[/name_f] (my-tay)
[name_f]Maria[/name_f] [name_f]Luisa[/name_f]: [name_f]Malu[/name_f] (mah-loo)
I did know a [name_f]Mary[/name_f] [name_f]Victoria[/name_f] once who used it in full.
Also an [name_f]Amanda[/name_f] [name_f]Joy[/name_f].
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hmm… a friend of mine has a niece named adel!ne sc@rlett (fn mn). the mother called her by both names as a baby (and wanted her to be called by both) but my friend was doubtful that she’d be called both as she got older. this child would be 4 or 5 now, and I don’t know what she goes by.
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I can only think of Willem-Alexander, the king of the Netherlands
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I wonder if he was like “I’m my own man” lol I often see my sons copying their uncle and using a deeper voice in conversation with him haha!
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Yes, I definitely wanted a nickname for each! I like to give my children options to go by a more normally used name as well so I thought maybe the double-barrel thing would be fine as long as they have that option still. Some names are just beautiful to me as a set but don’t appeal to me as much on their own
Haha probably he was also barely 2, so he was mentally mature for his age to be deciding what his name was all on his own haha! I was so shocked when I heard the news about it because he was so young! He’s starting kindergarten soon.
I’ll also add that while he was still going by Christopher Michael, my relatives took on the nickname Baby Mike for him right after birth, which drove me nuts because I’m all about calling the child by their intended name. Even though Christopher Michael seemed like a mouthful (but it didn’t end up being one as I used it), I felt it was disrespectful to his parents for others to call him another version of the name just because they liked it better. His name was Christopher Michael, and that was that for me! So if you do choose a long double barrel, I think a lot of people will change the name to make it their own.
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Yes, but it’s part of my culture.
I know several [name_f]Maria[/name_f] Something, [name_m]João[/name_m] Something, [name_m]Pedro[/name_m], etc. who go by the full thing. Some examples:
[name_f]Maria[/name_f] [name_f]Carolina[/name_f]
[name_f]Maria[/name_f] [name_f]Gabriela[/name_f]
[name_m]João[/name_m] [name_m]Vicente[/name_m]
Antônio [name_m]Pedro[/name_m]
They do have nicknames, but only for close relationships, like the only person who calls Antônio [name_m]Pedro[/name_m] [name_m]Tony[/name_m] is his mother.
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I thought this might happen too! I was hoping they’d just use my chosen nickname in that case lol but I don’t think it’d bother me if they didn’t. Mostly I wasn’t sure if it would just be a chore to go around using such a long name in all the everyday situations haha I did think some people may find it pretentious but to me it’s just because I feel like some of the names I like are a set in my mind and feel incomplete to me on their own!
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Longest double barrel I’ve ever heard of in real life was five syllables at once, she was Mariana-Rose.
I think any longer would be a mouthful to say, and would likely be shortened. Maybe you could get away with the 2-4 combo (like I’m thinking Mariana-Marie wouldn’t have been so bad) but the 3-4 and 4-4… I really doubt people would use those full names. But hey, double barrels are not common where I live, maybe if you’re somewhere where lots of people have double-barreled names it would work better?
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It’s pretty common where I live for people to be called by first & middle/s often, no matter how long the names. I have a brother who’s name syllables are 4-3 and we call him by both as regularly as we do his 2 syllable pet name. I also have several cousins who’s names are 3-2 and 3-3 and it’s not really an issue for them either.
Of course, in a more professional? setting maybe it they would go by a shorter version (just first, a nickname, ect), but even I’m called by my first and middle names pretty regularly in most settings and that’s a combined six syllables
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I think it can work fine if it flows well enough.
It’s pretty common in [name_m]Brazil[/name_m], the longest ones (that aren’t very long) I can quote are [name_f]Maria[/name_f] [name_f]Helena[/name_f] (technically 3-3, but casual speech makes a smushed 5) and [name_m]Luis[/name_m] [name_m]Felipe[/name_m] 2-3
In [name_f]English[/name_f] the only one I currently remember (though I just know I knew of others before) is a kid from the show Bones, I still have the name [name_m]Michael[/name_m] [name_m]Vincent[/name_m] stuck in my head (though it’s longer in letters than in sounds)
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