Why do some people have two first/last names?

Have you ever wondered why some people have two first names, or two last names?

*raises one exceptionally high eyebrow*

Have you ever wondered why some people start threads with two titles and no substance?

How do you mean this?

Like Project Camelot's - Bill Ryan? ..or like me, where I have both my mother's maiden name and father name as my last names? I have 4 names, in this manner

I have a friend with 5 names... Quite funny because his middle names"John Thomas" if any of you know what means...

reply to post by FearEater


Yes, that is what I meant. Like Ron Paul (two first names).

double surnames are normally the result of an illegitimate birth somewhere along the line

In the south it is very common for a woman to have two first names: Mary Margaret, for example. Sometimes it is just stringing the first and middle names together. Sometimes there is a separate middle name. In Catholic families I have seen all daughters incorporate "Mary" as part of their first name.

Two last names is frequently the result of not wanting to take the surname of the male. Sometimes this is because the surnames of both partners are noteworthy. You see this in classic British aristocracy such as depicted by Jane Ausetn, for example. Other times it is because of the feminist issue. My lawyer's last name is "Edensword-Breck" I don't know which name is his and which is his wife's. I just know his wife said he would be sorry. He did it on his own, a baby boomer out of the sixties. It hardly rolls off the tongue well and sounds pretentious to me.

So, that's why.

reply to post by pityocamptes


why do some people have one?

reply to post by schuyler


A lot of women also do it because they want to take their husband's name, but they have built a career around their maiden name, and don't want to lose contacts.

So they tend to use the married name for home use and then keep the maiden name for business.

Let me ask you somethin... why do you care?

Originally posted by pityocamptes
reply to post by FearEater

 

Yes, that is what I meant. Like Ron Paul (two first names).

I see... That, my friend, I cannot answer. I shall not give my opinion as to why I cannot answer... It would be censored.