Very interesting thread...

When we got married I decided to go with the double barrel surname without a hyphen (FYI I highly recommend the hyphen to anyone considering the same thing, two surnames is a nightmare for databases!). Bubs will however have DH's surname as I tend to think my double barrel one is too wordy. But if we have a boy their middle name will be my maiden name.

Also, we look at the whole naming exercise as the first name is something for you to choose together, the surname represents one side of the family and the middle name represents the other side.

Both my sister and brother have different fathers to me and all three of us have different surnames (mums first dh died, my parents divorced, and her third she was with till the day she died). Growing up mum and I always had the same surname as she didn't bother to change it after her and my dad split until she married my step-father a few weeks before she died. Then she changed it to a double barrel of her maiden name and his name. From what I know having different names to my brother and sister was never a problem for her, I'm sure it was questioned from time to time, but she was comfortable with her choices and how she'd lived her life so it wasn't an issue. And I don't think it was an issue for any of us kids either... But I must admit that when she changed it at the end I was a little sad and always think of her with the name I knew growing up rather than the one she took the grave iykwim...