Double barreled surnames?

We gave our son my maiden name as his middle name and feminised it for our daughter. My son gave his oldest daughter the same middle name. I married at a time when you automatically took your husband’s surname but I wouldn’t do it now.

I would have given anything to keep my own name when I married in the late 1960s, but whatever the law was places like banks, the passport office etc had rules that made it impossible, so in the end I gave in. I so envy DDiL, being able to be married without a change of name.

I still do not understand my sister, who did not marry until the late 1990s, taking her husband's name. She has always been very independent and didn't marry until her late 40s

I can just imagine the confusion if the descendant of Admiral Sir Reginald Aylmer Ranfurley Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax, married someone from the family of Captain Leone Sextus Denys Oswolf Fraudatifilius Tollemache-Tollemache de Orellana Plantagenet Tollemache-Tollemache.

It's enough to make you want to call yourself Sid Smith

I have an unusual German surname-not double barrelled but I have enough trouble with just that one!

No-one's answered nonnie's question. When Miss Double Barrelled marries Master double Barrelled do they then become Mr & Mrs Quadruple Barrelled?

My DD is an academic who published under her maiden name before she was married. She double barrelled her surname so that people would realise it was still her authoring further papers.

I kept my 'maiden' name when we married. Mr Iam kept his own name as well. Our children have both names, not hyphenated. I find it difficult to think of any close friends who didn't follow the same route.
My children followed a more traditional path and shared the same name as their married partners. A number of their friends chose to keep their own names, or to make a new name by amalgamating both their original last/sir/maiden names.
Why does this less approach to last names cause consternation and dar I say it judgements?

Nowadays it seems to affect the children of the unmarried.
I must say that my friend observed that when she was teaching. That is not judgmental, it was a fact, just an observation.

Several women I worked with kept their maiden names for professional reasons but used their married names outside of work.

One of my daughters took her husband’s surname, one kept her own, one double-barrelled their names because his was extremely common, one kept her ex’s name in her new relationship.
Anything goes now so it doesn’t matter. Hyphenated first names are also very common for girls. Common in both senses.

All the children I have come across with double barrelled names recently have two surnames because they have incorporated the surnames of both their parents.

Some times the parents are married sometimes not.
Elrel not clear why you think it is judgemental for someone to say that most of them are the children of unmarried parents. Do you not approve of unmarried parents?

I worked in a bank in a posh part of London many years ago . The manager ( who never spoke to us workers ) called himself Alan Imrie- Smith ( not his real name ) to be posh . Then came the day when chequebooks were printed with you name on them and much to his disgust his came in as Alan Smith . By the way Bill Simpson ( Dr. Findlay ) was one of our customers. One of the " older " ladies used to go weak at the knees when he came in.

Thanks for all that but does anyone know what happens when one double barreled marries another?

An observation Elrel, not a judgement. Why so spikey?

Who's judging. I taught for 35 years, In the last decade of those double barrelled names became more prevalent. They were nearly always children of unmarried parents. Just stating a fact.

DDiL has kept her own name except for formal invites to Mr & Mrs Monicason. Children have their father's surname.

Alima and BBbevan -Since in most cases you would have no idea why a child has a double barrelled surname why presume to judge their parents?

In the past double barrel names usually were the result of money.

Old John Smith left his money to young nephew Albert Brown on the condition he assume the surname 'Smith'. Young Albert wants the money, but likes his current surname so becomes Albert Brown-Smith (or Smith-Brown).

I notice when I go around stately homes how often people in the past thought nothing of changing their names if it brought advantages. One of Jane Austen's older brothers was adopted by childless relatives when he was in his teens, his surname was changed theirs and he inherited a large estate and magnificent house when his adopted parents died.

That is what I think Alima. Often the children of the unmarried

My mum had a family surname as her middle name and coupled with her married name it appeared as double-barrelled but without the hyphen.

I kept my maiden name as one of my Christian names when I married - but I certainly didn't hyphenate it. It just seemed pretentious to do that. I do sometimes use it with my married name if I do anything professionally - illustrations or publications (not many of those!!). If I was getting married now, I'd probably keep my maiden name if I knew it would be useful professionally. We had an interesting conversation with Icelandic friends - they use patronyms and don't change their name on marriage. They didn't realise that we do and I pointed out that if I was known by a different name people would think we weren't married - but it was 1982 when we had this discussion!

I have often wondered how many names a person could end up with. Years ago a double barrelled name often seemed to afflict the posh. Nowadays it seems to affect the children of the unmarried.

I too have a double barrelled surname which goes back a good few generations. I’m no longer surprised at the perceptions people have of me simply because of my name.

It’s just a name, not who I am. Comments like, oooh aaah I no longer respond too??

I used to work for a young Coldstream Guards Captain who was known as Captain The Honourable J. P. and then he had three surnames. He was known to all as The Hon John! All the female staff, including me, were deeply in love with him!?

I have a double barrelled name. I only married it. Don't know how far back it goes. It's a mouthful and I certainly wouldn't have changed my name to it if I was getting married now but 40+ years ago it was the done thing. If rude people comment on it I just say that it's because I'm very posh. People looking at me usually laugh at that.
I use my maiden name for my writing. It's lovely to use it again.

I don't have a problem with it just curious about what their children will do if they marry another DB person! Life seems to have become very complicated.

A lot of consultants/doctors have double-barrelled surnames. I think it's in recognition to their forbears who themselves were in the profession. This is okay by me.