Double names

Helenahhandbasket · November 2012

This is all hypothetical...but my DH and I are very interested in a double first name for a phantom DD. I don't live in an area where double first names are NOT popular or common, so I have a few questions as to how they "work"

1) If you or your LO has a double name, do you hyphenate? Or do you just have the two names in the FN spot? I don't really like hyphens, but if you have just two names in the FN spot, how do people know it is a double name?

2) Does your LO (or do you) have a middle name?

FWIW the name we love is Mary Elizabeth middlename lastname (we don't yet have a MN in mind, but would take suggestions Smile )

Thanks!

Brownie928 · November 2012

I'm a southerner so I know a lot of people with double names. Some don't have a separate mn it would just be Mary Elizabeth Lastname. Some do have another mn like Mary Elizabeth Claire Lastname. It's just your preference. I don't know anyone with a hyphened name.

Helenahhandbasket · November 2012

Brownie928:
I'm a southerner so I know a lot of people with double names. Some don't have a separate mn it would just be Mary Elizabeth Lastname. Some do have another mn like Mary Elizabeth Claire Lastname. It's just your preference. I don't know anyone with a hyphened name.

OK glad to hear that-- I hate the hyphen.

Guillerma · November 2012

That is a LONG double name. My guess is people will end up calling her Mary regardless of what you do. These name are very common in the south. Our DD is Isla Rose as a double name and we debated this for months. She was almost Islarose Elisabeth LN. We really wanted people to know it was a double name and not call her Isla, but eventually decided it was just too long. I didn't want a hyphen or a capital in her first name because that seems a little redneck to me, but things are often done that way down here. We ended up making Rose her Mn but introducing her to people by her full name. It is confusing at places where they see rose in the middle name spot pedi, etc but our friends all know her double name. It's tricky and there are multiple ways to do it.

dee12807 · November 2012

Personally I would go with MaryElizabeth, no space (and i feel that hyphens are a no no unless it's your last name...). If you put a space people may think that she has two middle names.

jlsimon56 · November 2012

My SIL has a double first name. It's her 2 g-mas' names. She does not use a hyphen. She lives in the northeast, I would not say double names are prevalent there. She also has a mn.

Helenahhandbasket · November 2012

Guillerma:
That is a LONG double name. My guess is people will end up calling her Mary regardless of what you do. These name are very common in the south. Our DD is Isla Rose as a double name and we debated this for months. She was almost Islarose Elisabeth LN. We really wanted people to know it was a double name and not call her Isla, but eventually decided it was just too long. I didn't want a hyphen or a capital in her first name because that seems a little redneck to me, but things are often done that way down here. We ended up making Rose her Mn but introducing her to people by her full name. It is confusing at places where they see rose in the middle name spot pedi, etc but our friends all know her double name. It's tricky and there are multiple ways to do it.

Thanks for the input-- yeah one of my concerns is that it's long. We were actually thinking of calling her Betsy or Mary Beth as a NN.

AEN1029 · November 2012

Helenahhandbasket:

Guillerma:
That is a LONG double name. My guess is people will end up calling her Mary regardless of what you do. These name are very common in the south. Our DD is Isla Rose as a double name and we debated this for months. She was almost Islarose Elisabeth LN. We really wanted people to know it was a double name and not call her Isla, but eventually decided it was just too long. I didn't want a hyphen or a capital in her first name because that seems a little redneck to me, but things are often done that way down here. We ended up making Rose her Mn but introducing her to people by her full name. It is confusing at places where they see rose in the middle name spot pedi, etc but our friends all know her double name. It's tricky and there are multiple ways to do it.

Thanks for the input-- yeah one of my concerns is that it's long. We were actually thinking of calling her Betsy or Mary Beth as a NN.

I agree with PP, Mary Elizabeth is a very long double first name. I think Mary Beth is much, much better as a double fn. I think you'll have better luck with people calling her Mary Beth than with Mary Elizabeth.

jlsimon56 · November 2012

Oh! I know a Mary Beth too! I don't know if that's her fn-mn or just her fn? Never really concerned me? Her name is just Mary Beth!

Helenahhandbasket · November 2012

AEN1029:
Helenahhandbasket:

Guillerma:
That is a LONG double name. My guess is people will end up calling her Mary regardless of what you do. These name are very common in the south. Our DD is Isla Rose as a double name and we debated this for months. She was almost Islarose Elisabeth LN. We really wanted people to know it was a double name and not call her Isla, but eventually decided it was just too long. I didn't want a hyphen or a capital in her first name because that seems a little redneck to me, but things are often done that way down here. We ended up making Rose her Mn but introducing her to people by her full name. It is confusing at places where they see rose in the middle name spot pedi, etc but our friends all know her double name. It's tricky and there are multiple ways to do it.

Thanks for the input-- yeah one of my concerns is that it's long. We were actually thinking of calling her Betsy or Mary Beth as a NN.

I agree with PP, Mary Elizabeth is a very long double first name. I think Mary Beth is much, much better as a double fn. I think you'll have better luck with people calling her Mary Beth than with Mary Elizabeth.

Thanks-- I agree its long but if we do go the double name route we will use Mary Elizabeth.

JaysonandKristin · November 2012

I'd do it in a heart beat.

DS2 was going to be Anne Marie June LN. Anne Marie was FN, and June was MN.

I think Mary Elizabeth is a great FN. And, if you call her ME and she calls herself ME, nobody will shorten it. Mary Beth is also very nice!!

We have a friend whose FN is Mary Helen. I LOVE her name. It is NOT common to have double FNs out here in the West, but I cannot deny it's a naming trend that I LOVE... LOVE!!

cottingham3 · November 2012

Another Southerner here...LOTS of DFN round here! lol

I dont Mary Elizabeth is all that long. We considered it as Dh's gmother is Mary Katherine and gmother in Elizabeth. Most people that I know use the FN and MN spots for the DFN. such as Mary Elizabeth Smith: called Mary Elizabeth.

The longest DFN I know is Savannah Katherine. When I first heard it I was like WOAH what a name...but she is the daintiest little girl and it fits her so well!

My DD is names Carys Jo. I never intended for her to be called by both name but I almost always use both names when addressing her.

Personally, I would leave off a middle name.

Helenahhandbasket · November 2012

JaysonandKristin:
I'd do it in a heart beat.
DS2 was going to be Anne Marie June LN. Anne Marie was FN, and June was MN.
I think Mary Elizabeth is a great FN. And, if you call her ME and she calls herself ME, nobody will shorten it. Mary Beth is also very nice!!
We have a friend whose FN is Mary Helen. I LOVE her name. It is NOT common to have double FNs out here in the West, but I cannot deny it's a naming trend that I LOVE... LOVE!!

Thank you for your comments-- Mary Helen is super pretty as well. I know it's not a very popular trend right now but I have always been a fan of these types of names, and DH is on board.

We have thought about ME (pronounced like Emmy) as a possible NN.

Thanks again for everyone's input!

sugar212 · November 2012

I used to work with a girl named KristyLee and she hated the fact that it was her first name and had no middle name that she legally changed it to Kristy Lee.

Also, I was at a daycare the other day and overheard a teacher conversation with a little boy (about 4) and she said her name was AmberDawn and she didn't have a middle name. The little boy was so confused and said that Dawn was her middle name.

abbieaggie · November 2012

I live in the midwest, in a big city and there are lots of double fn, but most are Mary or Mari something (MaryBeth, MaryJo, MaryChris, MaryBridget, MaryPat). No hyphen and some either have no mn or a short, one syllable mn. I am using Mary after my grandma that passed and my other grandma does not want me to use her name Patricia because she doesn't like MaryPat as a nn, so not sure if we will just use it as mn. GL

sweetpea2003 · November 2012

I know a Mary Kathleen (there is a space but no hypen). She has a middle name too.

I think double names are fine and don't find Mary Elizabeth to be that long - especially if you plan on calling her Mary Beth or Betsy. I also don't really care for hypens but I REALLY don't like the smoosh (MaryElizabeth). That just looks all kinds of wrong to me with the majority of names.

Double names

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