The American trend of surname blending is gaining traction in Britain, producing some interesting results. Just ask Mr and Mrs Puffin.
When Michael Pugh and Rebecca Griffin married in 2011, they settled on a last name taking a portion from each family moniker to produce Puffin.
Some 800 couples in the UK have used the "meshing" method to date in 2012.
"Meshing has changed from being a rare novelty to one of the main reasons couples use a deed poll to change names," UK Deed Poll Service spokeswoman Claudia Duncan told British newspaper The Daily Telegraph.
"Many people feel meshing is more romantic than double-barrelling, while we did have one honest couple who said they simply could not decide whose name should come first, so meshing seemed the obvious solution."
Recent examples include Miss Clifton and Mr Mole becoming the Moltons, Miss Price and Mr Nightingale who became the Prightingales, and Miss Harley and Mr Gatts who became the Hatts.
The new name practice, most popular with couples aged in their 20s and 30s, has also spread to celebrity circles, with British TV presenter Dawn Porter becoming Mrs Dawn O'Porter after marrying The Sapphires actor Chris O'Dowd.
