Celebrities With Double-barrelled Surnames

Double-barrelled surnames are simply two surnames in one, joined with a hyphen. They have become more popular over the years, with many married couples or couples in civil partnerships opting to use both names, particularly those in the public eye. So, let’s look at some celebrities with double-barrelled surnames.

Reasons for Double-barrelled names

Couples may want their surname to be used, and double-barrelled surnames are a great way to make that happen. It will also mean that any offspring will have both parents’ names, which is rather important to many people. Double-barrelled surnames offer a balanced way of incorporating a spouse’s surname without losing your own. 

Double-barrelled surnames are often associated with people of status. Famous and wealthy people usually will not want to lose their surname upon marriage and instead opt for an additional name. Here is a list of some famous examples:

• Helena Bonham-Carter – Helena is an English actress who says the hyphen in her name is optional. The Bonham Carter name was her dad’s – Raymond Bonham Carter – who was from a merchant banker from a British political family.
• Kim Kardashian-West – Kim Kardashian is an American reality TV star who added the ‘West’ to her surname after marrying Kanye West – a famous American rapper and music producer known for his controversial views and volatile personality. The Kardashian-West double-barrelled surname was short-lived for Kim as the couple are now divorced, and Kim goes by her original name of Kardashian.
• Beyonce Knowles-Carter – Beyonce is an American singer married to rapper and producer Jay-Z, real name Shawn Corey Carter. She chose to add his surname to hers to form a double-barrelled name after they wed.
• Hillary Rodham Clinton – Hilary was born Hilary Rodham, but she added Clinton to her name after marrying the 42nd president of the United States, William (Bill) Clinton.
• Andrew Lloyd-Webber – Andrew is a famous and highly respected musical theatre composer, the son of William Lloyd-Webber, a composer and organist.
• Olivia Newton-John – was a British and Australian singer, actress, entrepreneur, and activist, most famous for her role as Sandy in Grease. Her Welsh father, Brinley Newton-John, was from a middle-class family and her mother, Irene Helene, came to the UK from Germany during the war.

• Catherine Zeta-Jones – Catherine is a Welsh actress who was born Catherine Jones but chose to add ‘Zeta’ to her name to help stand out. Zeta was her paternal grandmother’s name.
• Tara Palmer-Tompkinson – the English television personality and socialite’s name was her father’s – Charles Palmer-Thomkinson, a winter Olympian with royal connections.

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