"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," Casser says.
"With hyphens I find a lot of kids end up choosing one name because it is easier.
"We played around with a few last names and found one that we like and sounds like a last name."
With a lot of their relatives unsure if it was even legal, Casser explains that it's actually legal and quite easy. "Turns out it's just whatever you write down on the registration with Births, Deaths and Marriages."
However they admitted the decision to give Lyla a fresh surname had divided friends and family as some weren't even sure if the move was legal.
Online, opinions were divided too — some labelling the decision "ridiculous" while others thought it was "lovely".
"Why? Bit ridiculous really," one wrote.
"Family trees are going to get much harder in the future," another said.
"Previously surnames were a sense of pride, indicating where your family came from and your heritage. This will indicate that your parents are hipster bogans," someone commented.
While one scoffed: "This is peak stupid."
But some defended the decision, saying, "It's the parents right to name their children anything they like."
Little Lyla Casseldon isn't the only baby to receive a blended last name in 2019, with statistics from New South Wales Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages revealing that children who share the same last name as their parents has dropped by over 50% since 1980.
Fewer kids have a hyphenated name with only 3.0% of children in 2019 having a hyphenated last name and proportion of kids with last names that belong to neither parent has increased from 3.4 to 9.4% since 1980.
Despite these new trends in last names, the traditional practice of a child taking after their father's last name still remains the most popular with 85.5% of children in Australia.
- additional reporting news.com.au
