Double-Barrel Names: US vs. UK

Updated Sat Feb 03 2024

Double-barrel names — those composed of two separate names, usually connected by a hyphen — are gaining notoriety in the States. Traditionally used among parents in the UK, American South, and Catholic families, today namers outside of these communities are discovering the merits of double-barrel names.

Using two names as one can be a way to add more of your favorite names to the birth certificate, honor multiple loved ones, or give a common name a unique spin. There are endless combinations for double-barrel names — ideal for an age where everyone wants a one-of-a-kind baby name.

In both the US and UK, double-barrel names are more common for girls than boys. The UK records all names — including double-barrel names — given to three or more babies of a single sex each year.

Here in the US, it's more complicated, as symbols such as hyphens do not make it into the official data. Some states record double-barrel names as compound names, like Demirose and Markanthony. Others only officially record the first element of a child's double-barrel name, meaning Luna-Bella is only considered Luna. We've done our best with the available data to find all the likely double-barrel names in the US.

Ready to dive in? Let's explore the most popular double-barrel names for girls and boys in the US and UK.

Top Double-Barrel Girl Names in the US

Although we often associate double-barrel names with the American South, the practice has historically been most prevalent among Catholic families. Still today, the three top double-barrel girl names in the US are identifiably Catholic: Mary-Jane, Mary-Ann, and Maria-Jose.

Further down the list, you'll find names with more Southern charm, like Ella-Mae and Ellie-Mae, along with choices that feel more modern and romantic than overtly Southern, such as Mia-Bella and Bella-Rose.

1. Mary-Jane

2. Mary-Ann

3. Maria-Jose

4. Ella-Mae

5. Mia-Bella

6. Rosa-Bella

7. Bella-Rose

8. Ella-Rose

9. Anna-Marie

10. Ellie-Mae

Top Double-Barrel Starting Names for Girls in the US

Mary and Maria — commonly used in Catholic double-barrel names — lead the charge as the most popular primary elements of double-barrel girl names in the US.

Ella and Ellie are particularly popular ways to start a double-barrel name, and current Top 10 choices Ava, Emma, Mia, Olivia, and Sophia are similarly on-trend as double-barrel starters. But watch out for Luna, Nova, Ivy, and Cali, which are quickly heating up!

Top Double-Barrel Name Endings for Girls in the US

Rose, Mae, and Grace — also popular one-syllable middle names for girls— account for over 37% of double-barrel girl name endings in the US.

Catholic double-barrel name endings, such as Maria and Jose, Alice and Kate, also make the charts. Bella and Rae are among the trendiest risers.

Double-barrel name endings that are primarily used among Hispanic and Latin American families — Jose, Ana, and Clara — are unique to US and are not found in the UK data. Bella, while found as a starter in the UK, does not feature as a double-barrel name ending.

Top Double-Barrel Girl Names in the UK

While in the US double-barrel names are associated with particular subcultures, they're embraced on a national scale in the UK. The top double-barrel girl name, Ivy-Rose, currently ranks inside England's Top 250, and cross-cultural picks like Elyza-Nur and Amaya-Noor are used regularly.

British double-barrel girl names tend to follow a specific pattern: a two-syllable first name followed by a one-syllable second name. Among the Top 10 double-barrel girl names in the UK, there's only one outlier: Amelia-Rose.

Only two double-barrel girl names are shared between the US and UK Top 10s: Ella-Rose and Bella-Rose.

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

Top Double-Barrel Starting Names for Girls in the UK

The top double-barrel name elements in the UK are much more subject to trends than those in the US, which skew more traditional and religious.

Ava, Ivy, Isla, Lily, and Amelia rank among the Top 10 individual names in England and Wales, as well as Top 10 double-barrel name starters.

Uniquely British starters that don't appear in the US data at all include Bonnie, Darcie, and Delilah.

Top Double-Barrel Name Endings for Girls in the UK

As in the US, Rose and Mae are the top two double-barrel name endings for girls in the UK. But Rose is the overwhelming favorite for British parents — even if you count Mae, May, and Mai as one — over 37% of girls given a double-barrel name in 2021 have Rose as the second element.

L names like Lou, Louise, and Lily are far more popular in the UK than in the US, and double-barrel name endings Mai, Noor, Jayne, and Blu are unique to the UK data.

Unique Double-Barrel Girl Names: US vs UK

In addition to distinctly Catholic choices such as Maria-Jose and Dulce-Maria, many celestial and mythological double-barrel names are unique to the US, including Luna-Freya, Luna-Bella, Stella-Rose, Kali-Rose, and Nova-Reign.

Double-barrel girl names with a strong Southern flavor, like Ida-Mae, Emma-Lou, Etta-Mae, and Willa-Mae are only found on American shores, as well as many names with 5+ syllable counts, such as Aria-Bella, Elizabeth-Grace, and Gianna-Maria.

On the other side of the pond, you'll find many double-barrel girl names with Arabic components, including Umme-Hani, Ayat-Noor, Fatima-Zahra, and Layal-Mai. Double-barrel names that start with popular British names — such as Skyla-Rose, Marnie-Mae, and Orla-Mae — are also unique to the UK.

Pop culture-inspired combinations such as Nirvana-Rose and Renesmee-Rose appear in the UK data, along with double-barrel names that may feel more American on the surface, like Nevaeh-Rose, Paisley-Mae, and Miami-Rose.

Top Double-Barrel Boy Names in the US

Double-barrel boy names in the US are few and far between, with Catholic names dominating the charts. The only exception is Ben-Zion — sometimes rendered as Benzion — which is used among Jewish families.

While secular double-barrel boy names are rising, the most popular double-barrel names for boys are overtly religious and tend to be combinations of biblical or otherwise classic boy names.

1. John-Paul

2. Jose-Luis

3. Jose-Maria

4. John-Luke

5. John-David

6. Ben-Zion

7. John-Michael

8. Juan-Diego

9. Jose-Manuel

10. John-Henry

Top Double-Barrel Starting Names for Boys in the US

In 2022, the last year on record, fewer than 650 American baby boys received a double-barrel name. Of those, almost 40% were given a name that starts with John.

Jose is the leading choice among Hispanic and Latin American families, followed by Juan, the Spanish variation of John.

The fastest-rising double-barrel starter for American boys is King, which was recorded in combinations such as King-David, King-Josiah, and King-James.

Only 17 names feature as the primary element of double-barrel boy names in the US. All of them are listed here:

Top Double-Barrel Name Endings for Boys in the US

Paul claims the top spot for double-barrel name endings due to the prevalence of John-Paul, the only name in which Paul is a component in the US data.

Cross-cultural David, which features in both Spanish and English combinations, like Jose-David and Jonathan-David, is the second most common double-barrel ending.

Most of the double-barrel second names on the American charts are absent from the UK list, including Spanish names Maria, Angel, and Miguel, along with biblical boy names Zion, Mark, and Josiah.

Top Double-Barrel Boy Names in the UK

Like their female counterparts, the top double-barrel names for boys in the UK are entirely secular.

All of the top British double-barrel boy names begin with a two-syllable name — many ending with the bright E sound — followed by a one-syllable choice.

James and Lee are the only two endings you'll find in the Top 10, but the double-barrel name starters are a variety of cute boy names, like Arlo and Teddy.

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. Archie-James

10. Hunter-Lee

Top Double-Barrel Starting Names for Boys in the UK

Tommy is the most popular double-barrel starter for British boys, followed by Muslim boy names Muhammad and Abdul.

Top 20 starters Alfie, Arlo, Archie, Freddie, Noah, Arthur, and Theo also rank among the Top 20 most popular names in England and Wales.

Uniquely British double-barrel starting names include many nicknames for boys, like Teddy, Albie, and Ronnie.

Top Double-Barrel Name Endings for Boys in the UK

Together, James and Lee account for more than 52% of all double-barrel boy name endings in the UK.

Short and snappy boy names like Jay and Ray, Jack and Jax, and even Blu are also among the most common endings to double-barrel names. Among Muslim families, choices like Rahman and Raheem, Ali, Hadi, and Yusuf are the most popular.

Interestingly, Junior ranks at Number 5 — in the UK, some families will use Junior as a double-barrel name ending rather than a suffix to a full name, as is more familiar in the US.

Unique Double-Barrel Boy Names: US vs UK

There are more differences than similarities between the double-barrel boy names used in the US and those in the UK. In fact, only eight boy names appeared in both countries' data: Anthony-James, Elijah-James, Ethan-James, Jesse-James, John-Henry, John-Joseph, John-Paul, and Noah-James.

Unique double-barrel boy names in the US include many traditional and religious choices like John-Thomas and Michael-Anthony, along with Spanish double-barrel names such as Juan-Jose and Jose-Miguel.

As with the girl names, American double-barrel boy names are more likely to have 5+ syllables than their British counterparts, seen in combinations like Noah-Alexander, Jonathan-David, and Jose-Antonio.

Muslim double-barrel names like Abdur-Rahman and Muhammad-Musa are unique to the UK, as are Romanian combinations such as David-Andrei, Rares-Stefan, and Denis-Ionut.

Double-barrel names that start with popular British names, including Frankie-Lee, Alfie-Jay, and Louis-James are only found in the UK data, along with cutesy, themed combinations like River-Blu and Buddy-Bear.

About the Author

Sophie Kihm

Sophie Kihm's Personal Website

Sophie Kihm has been writing for Nameberry since 2015. She has contributed stories on the top 2020s names, Gen Z names, and cottagecore baby names. Sophie is Nameberry’s resident Name Guru to the Stars, where she suggests names for celebrity babies. She also manages the Nameberry Instagram and Pinterest.

Sophie Kihm's articles on names have run on People, Today, The Huffington Post, and more. She has been quoted as a name expert by The Washington Post, People, The Huffington Post, and more. You can follow her personally on Instagram or Pinterest, or contact her at sophie@nameberry.com. Sophie lives in Chicago.

View all of Sophie Kihm's articles