I have noticed this too - and wondered for a while what it could mean. I reached the same conclusion as Legalos, that it was meant to underline the difference between the Shire and the rest of ME.
I also think it is a literary device.
Thanx to their names and surnames, the hobbits appear more 'familiar' to us, more easy to identify with, which is useful since the story basically revolves mainly around them.
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And no one was ill, and everyone was pleased, except those who had to mow the grass.
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