Double-Barrelled Surnames

What do you think of people who have them?

What would you think of someone who double-barrelled their surname though Deed Poll with a name that died out in their family hundreds of years ago? Snob? Pretentious?

Reply 1

lukas1051

18

If that's your name, that's your name... it's not something you have control over. I mean generally double barrelled surnames are more common in upper class families, so maybe I would assume someone with a double barrelled name to be snobby if I had never met them, but then it's not always the case.

Reply 2

Yosaron

I honestly don't care.
Judging someone just because they have a hyphen in their surname is ridiculous.

Reply 3

xoxAngel_Kxox

21

I plan to have one when I get married- as I don't want to lose my maiden name! But I'm not upper class, or snobby, or anything like that. I'm actually "common as muck" according to my friends, lol :biggrin:

Reply 4

Liam 09

12

My friend knows somebody whose double-barrelled surname is O'Toole-Thrower.
I lol'd when I first heard it.

Reply 5

riotgrrl

19

My kids will probably have one as I intend to keep my name when I get married. I don't think anything of it, unless it's something really posh like Whittington-Smythe or whatever.

Reply 6

No Man

15

It's not like they have control over their surname.

I've had a best friend with a double-barreled surname who wasn't a snob.

Reply 7

armageddonbride

8

When I was about 10 I went through a phase of using my mothers maiden name and double barrelling. It lasted about a week.

I quite like double barrelled surnames though, if they work well together.

Reply 8

amizzle91

9

No I wouldn't assume someone who has a double barrelled name is a snob, I've met plenty of people who have a double barrelled surname and aren't pretentious. Sometimes a double barrelled surname can sound really nice, and other times it can sound quite funny, i.e. the previously mentioned example 'Whittington-Smythe' :p:

Reply 9

A level Az

16

I have a friend who has a double-barreled surname, and he is probably one of the nicest people I've ever known. Connotations of being snobby and up your own arse are not entirely true; judging someone on their surname is low.

Reply 10

viksta1000

15

if its just two surnames like e.g O'brian-smith put together then i its ok...if not quite cool tbh

its when it gets to samuel 'wright-of-warwickshire' or Henry 'duke-of-Canterbury' when you need to get running

Reply 11

Rob da Mop

15

I have a double-barrelled surname. It definitely makes you sexy.

Reply 12

alibobs

14

I know quite a few chavs who have kids before they get married and they give their kids the double barrelled surname. Classy.
I don't really think anything of it, if I saw a double barrelled name I probably would assume the person wasn't snobby exactly but definitely upper class. It's just a surname though at the end of the day. I wouldn't double barrell my surname because I realy can't see it going well with anything else!
eta: and imo it looks stupid when you give yourself the double barrelled name. If you're born with one, fair play. Giving yourself a doube barreller isn't cool to me

Reply 13

DirtyPrettyThing

12

Original post by Gemma :)!

I plan to have one when I get married- as I don't want to lose my maiden name! But I'm not upper class, or snobby, or anything like that. I'm actually "common as muck" according to my friends, lol :biggrin:

Gemma, what will your children be called? Say if you're smith and your husband is wesson, and your kids are called Smith-Wesson, what then if THEY meet somebody who wants to keep their name, what will THEIR kids be called? You'll end up with triple barrelled names! For this reason I think we should stick with the system of the kids being named after one parent, not both.

Reply 14

rylit91

OP

3

Original post by alibobs

I know quite a few chavs who have kids before they get married and they give their kids the double barrelled surname. Classy.
I don't really think anything of it, if I saw a double barrelled name I probably would assume the person wasn't snobby exactly but definitely upper class. It's just a surname though at the end of the day. I wouldn't double barrell my surname because I realy can't see it going well with anything else!
eta: and imo it looks stupid when you give yourself the double barrelled name. If you're born with one, fair play. Giving yourself a doube barreller isn't cool to me

I understand what you mean about giving oneself a double-barrelled surname, but what if one's surname is Smith, and they hate the plainness; then they traced their family tree and found a surname of their 6 or 7x great grandparents which died out in the 1700s, and they wanted to 'revive' it by double barrelling?

Reply 15

hannah_dru

2

I don't like them, I think they can sound quite silly and some are a complete mouthful.

Reply 16

xoxAngel_Kxox

21

Original post by DirtyPrettyThing

Gemma, what will your children be called? Say if you're smith and your husband is wesson, and your kids are called Smith-Wesson, what then if THEY meet somebody who wants to keep their name, what will THEIR kids be called? You'll end up with triple barrelled names! For this reason I think we should stick with the system of the kids being named after one parent, not both.

Our children will be given a double barrelled name. When they marry, it is their choice what they wish to do.

My children would have my name if I had to pick one, not his.

Reply 17

Cicerao

14

Try going to countries like Spain and Portugal, and tell me if you think they're snobby then. :colonhash:

Reply 18

ManiaMuse

8

The Germans banned triple barreled surnames.

Reply 19

Fandabidoze!

7

I do make immediate connotations with posh people, yes. I'd rather take my wife's name than have a double-barrelled name TBH, not because I don't want to be seen as posh, I just don't like double-barrelled names.

Double-Barrelled Surnames

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