I've always been suspicious of people with two first names.

[Zippy]

I think it comes from the patronymic naming system in use until a few hundred years ago (mid 800's in Wales) so if your father's name was Evan your surname would be ap (of) Evan.

[SimonMac]

I blame the parents!

[d000hg]

Paul Daniels

Daniels isn't a first name.

[NotAllThere]

I always imagine that double barrelled names come from illegitimacy - child born out of wedlock gets both mother's and father's surname.

Double-barrelled names arose to maintain the family name when a daughter of an aristocratic family got married, and there were no male siblings to carry the name.

[OwlHoot]

Gareth Barry
Cliff Richard
Paul Daniels
Les Dennis

I suppose you have to blame the parents, although they can hardly be blamed for choosing a first name as a first name and the second they are lumbered with themselves. It must be quite a dilemma.

Is that really what the OP meant? I assumed they were referring to compound forenames like "Mary Lou" and "Billy Jean" etc.

As it's almost always girls names, maybe the parents just think it sounds cute.

[doodab]

Is that really what the OP meant? I assumed they were referring to compound forenames like "Mary Lou" and "Billy Jean" etc.

As it's almost always girls names, maybe the parents just think it sounds cute.

I meant people who have a forename for a surname, like Gareth Barry, Les Dennis etc. But it got sidetracked. Never mind.

[Sysman]

Gareth Barry
Cliff Richard
Paul Daniels
Les Dennis

I suppose you have to blame the parents, although they can hardly be blamed for choosing a first name as a first name and the second they are lumbered with themselves. It must be quite a dilemma.

I see what you are on about, but you've answered it yourself.

Cliff Richard is just a stage name (real name Harry Webb?). Some PR type dreamed the idea up so that when people called him "Cliff Richards", the marketing wallahs could correct them and say "No, it's Cliff Richard", thus reinforcing the brand.

What I do find strange is the Yanks' liking for surnames as first names. That is weird, and the parents can do something about it.

[Sysman]

Is that really what the OP meant? I assumed they were referring to compound forenames like "Mary Lou" and "Billy Jean" etc.

As it's almost always girls names, maybe the parents just think it sounds cute.

I've come across names like that in German speaking places. I know a few called Hans Peter, and nobody seems to pick one or the other; it's always Hans Peter.

What I noticed in France is that they don't seem to shorten names. No Dave instead of David, Pete instead of Peter etc. Like German speaking places, Jean Claude was never shortened either.

[OwlHoot]

I've come across names like that in German speaking places. I know a few called Hans Peter, and nobody seems to pick one or the other; it's always Hans Peter.

What I noticed in France is that they don't seem to shorten names. No Dave instead of David, Pete instead of Peter etc. Like German speaking places, Jean Claude was never shortened either.

Although not relevant to doodab's question, as he mentioned, I was going to add that double-barrelled forenames such as "Mary Lou" used in the US were probably once considered fancy and "Frenchified".

They tend to be more of a Southern US thing, or that's my impression. So maybe they originated in the 19th century from French influence in places like Louisiana.

[EternalOptimist]

Although not relevant to doodab's question, as he mentioned, I was going to add that double-barrelled forenames such as "Mary Lou" used in the US were probably once considered fancy and "Frenchified".

They tend to be more of a Southern US thing, or that's my impression. So maybe they originated in the 19th century from French influence in places like Louisiana.

possible, but how do you explain the rivers then ?
Here its River Thames
US its Potomac river
In France its just The Seine