The most popular double-barrelled baby names in the UK for you to choose from
It's a tough decision, working out what you're going to name your baby. Being such a permanent choice, sometimes one name just doesn't feel enough. While some parents will opt for multiple middle names to squeeze in all the ones they like (a la the royal family), others prefer to go for the double-barrelled option.
Double-barrelled names are traditionally used in surnames (which can be with or without a hyphen), historically used to preserve a family name that may have otherwise become extinct. Today, they are most often used by couples who would both like to retain their surnames. And with the rise of a double last name, has come the rise of a double first name, also partly due to it being seen as fashionable, or standing out.
So, if you're considering choosing two monikers and joining them together, we thought we'd give you a helping hand by picking out some of the UK's most popular double-barrelled names. After digging through the Office of National Statistics' (ONS) most recent baby names data, from births in the year 2021, we've compiled a list of the most common double-barrelled girls' names and double-barrelled boys' names in England and Wales.
What we found was something of a theme; a few names in particular for girls and boys seemed to crop up as the perfect second half to most of the favoured double-barrelled names. 'Rose' and 'Mae' for girls and 'James' and 'Lee' for boys appear time and time again on the list, and they both have something in common – being one syllable.
It seems parents are generally in agreement that one syllable names make the ideal accompaniment for a double-barrelled baby name, and there are a few others that feature regularly on the list that aren't Rose or James, just in case you're after some slightly more unique inspiration. Check out the lists, in order of popularity, here:
Most popular double-barrelled girl names:
Ivy-Rose
Ella-Rose
Ava-Rose
Isla-Rose
Amelia-Rose
Lily-Rose
Gracie-Mae
Ava-Mae
Bella-Rose
Ava-Grace
Isla-Mae
Delilah-Rose
Elsie-Mae
Ivy-Mae
Ellie-Mae
Lily-Mae
Harper-Rose
Olivia-Rose
Mia-Rose
Evie-Rose
Daisy-Mae
Isabella-Rose
Ruby-Rose
Ella-Mae
Layla-Rose
Sienna-Rose
Millie-Mae
Lilly-Mae
Ivy-Rae
Aria-Rose
Most popular double-barrelled boy names:
Tommy-Lee
Arlo-James
Alfie-James
Teddy-James
Noah-James
Theo-James
Riley-James
Tommy-James
Jay-Jay
Archie-James
Hunter-Lee
Abdur-Rahman
Jesse-James
Reggie-Lee
Albie-James
Archie-Lee
Arthur-James
Brody-Lee
Jaxon-James
Roman-James
Freddie-James
Hunter-James
Leo-James
Oakley-James
Mason-Lee
Muhammad-Ali
Reggie-Ray
Abdul-Raheem
Arlo-Jay
Billy-Joe
Most popular double-barrelled unisex names:
Of course, anyone of any gender or sex can have any name, regardless of whether it is deemed appropriate 'for boys' or 'for girls'. But looking at what is considered 'unisex', some could include the already-mentioned Arlo-James, Riley-James, and Jesse-James, while others taken elsewhere from the data set could include Harper-Leigh, Remi-Rae, Hunter-Lee, and Harley-Jay. You can also have a look at the most popular (single) unisex baby names for 2023 here.
So which ones take your fancy?
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