Formation
Double-barrelled names may be formed for a variety of reasons. Some are formed when the family names of two people are combined upon marriage or civil partnership, thus forming a new two-part surname, or when children are given surnames combining those of both parents. Double-barrelled names may also be used by children who are not brought up by their birth-parents to combine the surname of a birth-parent with that of an adoptive parent, or the surname of their biological father with that of a stepfather. Other families choose double-barrelled names for egalitarian reasons, rejecting the patriarchal custom of consistently passing on only the father's name on principle. Similarly, same-sex couples may want to emphasise equality between partners. In some cases, a child whose parents have divorced may be given or choose to adopt a double-barrelled surname.
To avoid the use of double-barrelled surnames, a small number of couples create a new blended surname, combining parts of each name into one, such as Villaraigosa (from Villar and Raigosa).
Among nobility, in the past especially, if a woman married down from her social status it was common for her and her husband to use a double-barrelled name. This was done both so as not to diminish the social status of the woman and to gain for her husband a higher social status.
Double-barrelled names are sometimes adopted when the man has a common surname such as Smith or Jones which the couple want to avoid after marriage; hence double-barrelled names often incorporate a common surname. For instance, if Mary Howard married John Smith, they could choose to become Mary and John Howard-Smith (with the man's surname usually going second). In the great majority of cases, though, they would simply opt for Mary and John Smith.
Some double-barrelled names are formed in order to prevent a family name otherwise dying out, because of the lack of males in a generation or when notable property is inherited through the female line with a stipulation that the individual inheriting use the family name. Such is the case with the Harding-Rolls family.
For same-sex couples and their families, the presumptions of gender are irrelevant; many agree on one name or another, or combine the two as a double-barrelled name.
In Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries, having a non-hyphenated double-barrelled surname is the norm, and in some cases (e.g., Spain) it is actually a legal requirement. See the article on Spanish naming customs for more information.
Read more about this topic: Double-barrelled Name
Famous quotes containing the word formation:
“I want you to consider this distinction as you go forward in life. Being male is not enough; being a man is a right to be earned and an honor to be cherished. I cannot tell you how to earn that right or deserve that honor. . . but I can tell you that the formation of your manhood must be a conscious act governed by the highest vision of the man you want to be.”
—Kent Nerburn (20th century)
“Those who were skillful in Anatomy among the Ancients, concluded from the outward and inward Make of an Human Body, that it was the Work of a Being transcendently Wise and Powerful. As the World grew more enlightened in this Art, their Discoveries gave them fresh Opportunities of admiring the Conduct of Providence in the Formation of an Human Body.”
—Joseph Addison (1672–1719)
“The formation of an oppositional world view is necessary for feminist struggle. This means that the world we have most intimately known, the world in which we feel “safe” ... must be radically changed. Perhaps it is the knowledge that everyone must change, not just those we label enemies or oppressors, that has so far served to check our revolutionary impulses.”
—Bell (c. 1955)