Whenever someone is about to walk down the aisle, or even head to the registry office for that matter, there’s the question of the marital name. Do you keep your own? Do you take your spouse’s? Or do you combine both and create one that’s truly unique.
While up until a while ago, it was usually a single surname, we’re now seeing more and more couples deciding to go for a double-barrel surname before they start their married life. So, if this is something you’ve been considering, what are some things that you must know before you make things official?
What even is a double-barrel surname?
When changing your surname during the process of marriage, you get the choice to join together both different family names. This is known as a “double-barrel name”, and is a term that first became popular back in Victorian times when it used to signify two-part last names. However, thanks to the popularity of double first names, it has since been narrowed down to “surnames”.
When were such names used first?
A while ago, names and surnames were pretty closely tied to inheritance. If you had a family that lacked any male descendants, they would create a double-barreled surname. This allowed them to preserve the family’s name, which would otherwise die out. This is also a way to keep an estate in the family.
At that time, you would usually have wealthier classes of people who took on this naming tactic. This is why, even today, double-barreled surnames have somewhat of an uppity connotation. Now, a thing to note is that unlike other European countries, British double-barrel names are actually heritable. This means that if you and your family want to, you could end up with a triple-, or even quadruple-barreled surname. And if this seems attractive to you, just think of how long it’ll take you to spell it out when you need to.
Why would you opt for a double-barrel name?
Contrary to the past, today you have couples with two surnames where there is no class indication of any kind. Instead, when a woman doesn’t want to forgo her surname completely, or when a man wants to take his wife’s name as well, you have couples that choose to double-barrel their surnames. It is also a pretty popular option when it comes to civil partnerships, as well as marriages of the same sex.
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Do you use a hyphen or not?
This is one of the aspects that make things somewhat confusing. Whether or not you double barrel with a hyphen is completely up to you. What’s even more interesting is that this can actually vary within the same family. Let’s take the comedian, Sasha Baron Cohen as an example. As you see, his two surnames are kept separate. However, he has a cousin, Simon Baron-Cohen, who decides to link them together. And then you have people like Helena Bonham Carter, who has actually said, on record, that her hyphen is optional. Yes, things are more confusing than you’d think.
Whose name goes first?
This is the second thing that happens in such a situation, that might be confusing. When you have a double-barreled surname, there is actually no rule as to whose surname goes first. If you follow tradition, it dictates that the man’s family name should go last. However, today’s situation is different, and it’s usually up to the couples to decide which one of the permutations sounds better to them.
Do you both need to double-barrel your names?
This is a common question with couples that don’t really agree on the whole double-barreling issue. If that is the case with you, you should know that it’s not required for both partners to do that. You can have one partner use their birth name, and you’ll only need one Deed Poll.
How do you get one after marriage?
When a woman, for example, takes her husband’s name when they marry, she would have her wedding certificate as proof of her new name. This is what she would use to apply for things such as a new passport or other important documentation. However, with a double-barrel option, you will need to get a Deed Poll in order to have a formal proof of your new identity.
At this point, you have a choice between making your own or trusting a specialist agency or solicitor to do this for you. You will need to “enrol” your new name at the Royal Courts of Justice, and pay the fees associated with that. However, you’re getting what you wanted, and the fees honestly aren’t at all expensive.
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