We are due in just a few weeks and wondered what you thought about giving a child multiple middle names when the last name is hyphenated and both of the middle and the first name are longish. Basically, if we included the names we'd like to, we'll end up with a little girl with a 16 syllable name! We are absolutely committed to our first name (Penelope) and the first second name (Alexandra) is a tribute both to my beloved and deeply missed BIL who died this year and to my husbands father, so we'd like to keep it, too. The wild card is the second middle name: Magnolia. This, we both loved and had originally wanted for a first name, but friends and family deemed it to weird... So. Our baby's full name would be Penelope Alexandra Magnolia Cotter-Taylor. Is that too long? Too over the top? What do you think?
As long as we're clear that this is purely a matter of opinion, I'd say that name is too much. It's long enough to start being a little bit funny. I think if I were you I would save Magnolia for a possible later daughter---perhaps as a middle name, or perhaps you'll decide you want to use it as a first name after all: I think it's a great first name, and a good sister name for Penelope.
I think we ought to put this question to the vote---there's a poll over to the right.
