‘People weren’t sure it was even legal’: Parents give their newborn daughter a ‘mashed up’ surname by mixing parts of both their own family names
- A growing number of parents are giving their babies ‘blended’ surnames
- The practice involves mixing the last names of the mother and father
- Sydney couple Courtney Cassar and Laura Sheldon mixed their daughter’s name
- They liked the idea of their child having ‘a part of both of us’
- Blended monikers are swiftly overtaking hyphenated surnames in popularity
Unusual baby names have been popular for years, but now parents are taking things one step further by giving their newborns ‘blended’ surnames.
Sydney couple Courtney Cassar, 31, and Laura Sheldon, 29, welcomed daughter Lyla Jill last month, but rather than using a hyphen between their family names, they bestowed the ‘mashed-up’ moniker ‘Casseldon’ on their baby girl instead.
Mr Cassar, a teacher and theatre director, told Daily Mail Australia that while reactions to the name were mixed, it represents both sides of their daughter’s family.
‘We were excited to give Lyla a blended name because it means it comes from both of our families instead of one, and now her last name tells a story,’ he said.
Sydney couple Courtney Cassar and Laura Sheldon gave their newborn daughter Lyla Jill the ‘blended’ surname ‘Casseldon’, which uses elements of their respective last names (the family is pictured together earlier this month)
‘We thought about it for a long time, even before we found out we were pregnant, and we used it in different situations to make sure we liked it.
‘I like the idea of our daughter having a part of both of us.’
Those close to the couple were surprised by how easily they could create a unique last name for Lyla.
‘At first people we told didn’t think you could even do it without some sort of laborious process, but it turns out it’s just whatever you write down on the registration with Births, Deaths and Marriages,’ Mr Cassar said.
Baby ‘Casseldon’ is certainly not the only young Australian given a ‘blended’ last name in 2019.
Mr Cassar, a teacher, and Ms Sheldon, a theatre performer, liked the idea of their daughter having a part both of them in her surname
The Sydney couple are among a growing number of Australians using creative surnames for their children, as hyphenated last names fall by the wayside
New statistics from the New South Wales Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages reveal the number of children who share the same surname as both parents has dropped from 88.4 percent to 38.2 percent between 1980 and today.
The proportion of kids with last names that belong to neither parent has increased from 3.8 percent to 9.4 percent over the same period.
The use of hyphenated names is growing at much slower rate, with double-barrelled titles used by just 0.7 percent of children in 1980 and three percent today.
The traditional practice of giving a child their father’s surname remains the most popular across the nation, with 85.5 percent of children using their dad’s name Down Under.