The most popular double-barrelled girls and boys names in the UK

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) baby names data, from births in the year 2021, we've compiled a list of popular 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.

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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 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.

Best girls names to use when double-barelling

A handy list of names that work well when hyphenated with others. Why not experiment by seeing if a name you love feels right when joined with one of the suggestions below?