Double barreled surnames?

In Spain, where I live, people use the first surname of their father and the first surname of their mother (who don't take on their husband's surname but just become Mrs). It's a bit weird for me because when I first came over people kept asking me my mum's maiden name and I didn't know why! My husband is Andres P.. A.., I'm Carol T..(no second surname) and my son is David P... T... He likes having access to his English roots.

My mother was one of 2 girls and I was the only grandchild. I was given my mother’s maiden name as a middle name but it wasn’t, and was never intended to be double-barrelled. It’s surprising, though, how many organisations take it upon themselves to make it double-barrelled! In turn, on of my AC gave their children my maiden name as a middle name, again not double-barrelled.

If I'd double barrelled my maiden and married names I'd have had the vile label: Mrs Rumph-Spittle.

Doesn't bear thinking about!!

After divorce I took my Mum's maiden name. Much nicer!

in Spain - children take their father's surname - when a girl marries she adds her husband's name to double-barrel it and then Her children take her husband's name - this is very convenient as you don't have to get a new passport or change your name on any official stuff when you marry.

Ican I understand your pain..happens for me too!

Where I work (in a college) there are many, many staff and students with double barrelled names. It becomes problematic when needing to print their names on certain documents, the length involved! I do get it however; I don't think its pretentious, but it can be annoying

PECS, definitely! My mother was married 3 times by the time I was 8 and I had my name changed each time. Getting a DBS is a nightmare.

The Independent says that Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was a house name not a family name. Windsor is a house name and a family name.

Maybe no hyphens I will look it up.

Yes.
They're posh!

What - with hyphens?
How down market.

The Windsors formerly had a triple family name. Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. I expect there was a good reason for it.

Personally, I think it is much posher to leave out the hyphen.

Hyphens are very infra dig.

Well really!
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name (or two) would smell as sweet."

Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)

The whole thing is pretentious and foolish
Gabriella which bit?

PECS ???

If that's your family name (and it has been for generations) then it's not pretentious!

My husband has his godparents' surname as one of his Christian names so we have occasionally been double barrelled by folk who don't know us!

Our goddaugther married last year and she and new husband have added their surnames together (not, I am told, double-barrelled!) as he only has one Christian name.

It's a matter of choice!

I always remember Rowan Atkinson in the 'Secret Policeman's Ball' doing a spoof roll call at a private school. The name that got the biggest laugh was 'Strangely-Brown'. I don't know why but it's very funny.

I've noticed homosexual friends double barrelling their names when they marry. I presume it stops one being thought of as the husband and one as the wife.

I'm a mixed one. Married back when there was no choice, so when had DS before divorce I kept his last name. He is grown now, and I remarried. Since I was the last of my family name, I used my Christian name, Maiden name and DH name. No hyphen. Most places in USA just ask for middle initial. On my official documents I am glad to still use my DF surname with DH surname.

Seadragon
Are you a teacher by any chance?

andiaccl That's interesting. Mr absent's family included the mother's maiden name as the middle name for the first-born son. As his father was married twice, his first wife having died, Mr absent and his eldest half-brother both have their [different] mother's family names between their Christian and surnames.

I quite like the Icelandic thing of being called Henrysson or Ngalsdottir, so everything changes with each generation. I have been married twice and kept my maiden name mainly because I was already quite well know by that name in my own profession.

On a completely silly note, I used know a young man and woman who fell in love and decided to get married. His surname was Plum and hers was Jamb – the double-barrel was irresistible.

Interesting. Scottish girls use to have their mum's maiden names as ' middle' names. A few I know used them as first part of double barrel names . Maybe it comes from that?

When two teachers at our local school married, they double-barrelled, but each kept their own name first. So she became (say) Mrs Fothering-Smyth and he was Mr Smyth-Fothering. Challenging for those of us with very little memory.

Long ago I read a wedding announcement for a Mr Castle and a Miss Howard. I do hope they double-barrelled.