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:

1. Ivy-Rose

2. Ella-Rose

3. Ava-Rose

4. Isla-Rose

5. Amelia-Rose

6. Lily-Rose

7. Gracie-Mae

8. Ava-Mae

9. Bella-Rose

10. Ava-Grace

11. Isla-Mae

12. Delilah-Rose

13. Elsie-Mae

14. Ivy-Mae

15. Ellie-Mae

16. Lily-Mae

17. Harper-Rose

18. Olivia-Rose

19. Mia-Rose

20. Evie-Rose

21. Daisy-Mae

22. Isabella-Rose

23. Ruby-Rose

24. Ella-Mae

25. Layla-Rose

26. Sienna-Rose

27. Millie-Mae

28. Lilly-Mae

29. Ivy-Rae

30. Aria-Rose

Most popular double-barrelled boy names:

1. Tommy-Lee

2. Arlo-James

3. Alfie-James

4. Teddy-James

5. Noah-James

6. Theo-James

7. Riley-James

8. Tommy-James

9. Jay-Jay

10. Archie-James

11. Hunter-Lee

12. Abdur-Rahman

13. Jesse-James

14. Reggie-Lee

15. Albie-James

16. Archie-Lee

17. Arthur-James

18. Brody-Lee

19. Jaxon-James

20. Roman-James

21. Freddie-James

22. Hunter-James

23. Leo-James

24. Oakley-James

25. Mason-Lee

26. Muhammad-Ali

27. Reggie-Ray

28. Abdul-Raheem

29. Arlo-Jay

30. 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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