Double barreling
- Thread starter PaulStat
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Soldato
- Joined
- 10 Nov 2003
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- 14,033
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- Surrey, by the river
Nope, you don't have to change your name at all if you don't want.
Soldato
- Joined
- 5 Sep 2005
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- 11,742
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- Northern Ireland
Do it, its got a ring to it. 
Argh, double barreled surnames. I have been cursed with a double barreled surname. Not only is my name too long to write on most forms, but trying to ask for something filed under my name is always a faff.
Person: "Did you say your name was "xxx"? I've got nothing on file here."
Me: "No, I said my name is "yyy-xxx"."
Person: "I don't need your middle name."
Me: *facepalm*
I am doubly cursed because the first half of my surname sounds a bit like the word "surname". Over a crackly phone line, it is incredibly tiresome to sort out any confusion the person on the other end has.
And I have to go through this every time I go to the doctor, phone up a company, fill out a form, etc etc.
In conclusion: DON'T DO IT! Not only do you curse yourselves to a lifetime of beurocratic agony, you curse any potential children too!
Person: "Did you say your name was "xxx"? I've got nothing on file here."
Me: "No, I said my name is "yyy-xxx"."
Person: "I don't need your middle name."
Me: *facepalm*
I am doubly cursed because the first half of my surname sounds a bit like the word "surname". Over a crackly phone line, it is incredibly tiresome to sort out any confusion the person on the other end has.
And I have to go through this every time I go to the doctor, phone up a company, fill out a form, etc etc.
In conclusion: DON'T DO IT! Not only do you curse yourselves to a lifetime of beurocratic agony, you curse any potential children too!
Soldato
- Joined
- 5 Sep 2005
- Posts
- 11,742
- Location
- Northern Ireland
Yeh a couple of friends of mine were subject to double barrel surnames from their parents and they have all pretty much ended drooping down to one. Mainly cause of the hassle 2 brings I think.
For what it's worth I have always thought double barreled surnames to be pretentious nonsense and can't help making a value judgement about people because of it.
If you have kids and they go to a grammar school or private school there won't be much problem for them but if you send a kid with a name like that to the local comprehensive they will suffer bullying I suspect.
Did the double barrelled thing originate due to marriages between the great and wealthy upper class families of the country not wanting to lose their lineage? Not sure, but in my mind double-barrrelness goes hand in hand with wealth, social position, class and advantage.
If you have kids and they go to a grammar school or private school there won't be much problem for them but if you send a kid with a name like that to the local comprehensive they will suffer bullying I suspect.
Did the double barrelled thing originate due to marriages between the great and wealthy upper class families of the country not wanting to lose their lineage? Not sure, but in my mind double-barrrelness goes hand in hand with wealth, social position, class and advantage.
Maybe one or two hundred years ago, now it's common as muck personally I'd rather my misses just kept her own name then bothered double barrelling it.
Oh and to the OP it sounds much much better the other way round ie Statham-Reade. I'm surprised you better half hasn't already picked up on it!
I'm no aristocrat. And yes, I did get bullied and a part of it was because they thought my name was posh and pretentious (mostly because I was a passive weakling though).
