Middle Names

[natalie_1982]

Do you / your children have middle names? Why did you choose your child's middle name and did you have problems deciding? If so, how did you overcome these? How did you get your middle name?

What do people think generally about having them?

[natalie_1982]

The reason I ask is because we are undecided as to whether our baby should have a middle name. I like the idea that the middle name means something, maybe a relative or friend, or someone you admire or family tradition. However, we disagree over whose name should be used in the middle. My middle name was given simply because my mum liked it, and my brother's is after my grandfather.

I don't mind them not having a middle name to save disagreements, but wondered if anyone had any suggestions :-)

[taichiperson]

Mine is Jane, because it went well with my first name. Thank goodness, because my mother's middle name was Redvers!! My Dad hasn't got one. My boys both have middle names beginning with J so we're all JR's! Jeremy because of a childhood friend ,and Jeffrey after my father in law, although he was a Geofrey (tha't the way he always spelt it). He didn't like his first name, and used his second.

[taichiperson]

I think it's nice to use a family name as a middle name - particularly if it's odd or you don't like it as a first name. And, as my father in law found, you have an alternative if you don't like the first yourself. If you don't like either, you're stuufed!!

[natalie_1982]

But were you not worried about upsetting yor own father by using your father in law's name as opposed to his? I would love to have my dad's name as the middle name, but wouldn't want to upset my husband's dad and don't want both!

[DSJ]

I have no middle name. I have a very short given name, I had a very short maiden name, & I now have a very short married surname. I always wished that my parents had given me a middle name, if only to make an extra initial when signing cheques etc.
My son has my maiden name as his middle name, Guy. My daughter's middle name is Jane which she doesn't particularly like. Her married name is slightly longer than her maiden name (my surname) so it seems that it's all down to personal preference. My husband is blighted by three given names, the second & third were his two grandfathers' names. He hates both & doesn't use them.

[unrulyjulie]

Hi natalie
i have two brothers and two sons. They each have the name of my brothers as their middle names.
I have
Liam David
and
Kieron Stephen

My middle name is a family tradition, can't say i like it though! I personally like the idea that you are using someones name who means something to you.

[natalie_1982]

Thanks DSJ - that is excatly the problem we have come up against - our surname is very short, and the chosen first name (particularly for a boy) is also short. A longer name wouldn't sound quite right, but a middle name would fill it out lovely.

[natalie_1982]

Thanks Julie - bt when you had your first son, you obviously didn't know you were going to have a second (you mightn't have wanted more or could have had a girl, etc) so how did you choose to use one brother's name over the other?

I have two brothers and a sister, and hubby has one sister.

[beryllium]

Hi Natalie :D
All of us have middle names, some of us have two lol.
We are not named after any family as I could have ended up as Ingagreta.... not easy in this country lol

[taichiperson]

I'd already used my father's name as my first son's first name! It wasn't confusing at the time as they lived a long way away - but now they have moved close! My Dad is Bob, (mostly Dad or Grandpa anyway!) and my son Robert or Rob. if you don't want to upset anyone, use something neutral - or promise to use the other name next time....

[unrulyjulie]

well natalie, at the time i had my first son (1991) i was incredibly close to my middle brother, (dave) more so than the older one. He is also my sons godfather and gave me away when i married inn1990.
By the time i had my 2nd son, (2003) big gap, lol i had the better relationship with my eldsest bro. (steve)
Sad thing is, me and dave don't speak anymore :-( and havent done for the last 3 years. ( his choice not mine)
I wouldnt change the fact that my son carries his name though because despite all the poblems we have now, he's still my brother and i love him dearly! One day i hope things will resolve themselves. famililes eh? lol

[natalie_1982]

Thanks Beryl and Taichi.

Sorry to hear that Julie, although I'm relieved to know I am not the only one with a family where some speak and some don't!

[redcrx]

Hi Natalie,

my other half chose little CRXs first name and its traditional for the boys to have dads name as their middle name. But we werent sure if he'd be our only child so i double barreled the middle name to Mark-Thomas (thomas after my grandad) and then also added my maiden name in there lol

So Little CRX has a long full name but its not going to be very often that he uses it is it?

[natalie_1982]

At the moment, I am thinking of using both our parent's names. Although they're short too - Mark and Neil, so if a boy poor child will have four short names! Our mum's both have long names (patricia and katerina), yet they both hate their own names so would be loathe to use them as they dislike them so much!

Maybe I will just call them Oi or Thingy

[andy-hughes]

I have two middle names - Norman after my father, and John after my grandfather. I hated my dad, and his name, I was teased throughout school, so I said that I would never give a son of mine my name. As it happens, we had a daughter anyway! She is Charlotte Mary - my wife named her that the minute she was born, but doesn;t remember saying it. The Mary is after my wife, Charlotte just came to her.

Our two daughters by my wife's first marriage are Tanya Marie - the Marie after Mary, and Kerri Anne - the Anne after my wife's sister.

Tanya's daughter is Francesca Mary Danielle - the first and last she liked, the middle after her mum, and her son is jacob John, the John is after me and her partner's deceased father.

I find the notion of tradiional naming after parents is fine, but i am uncomfortable with it. To me it feels as though you have to leave something of yourself behind, which feels slightly pompous, although not as pompous as double-barrelling, which infers that your surname should not die out because you have no sone to carry on the line.

When I go, my branch of the Hughes line goes with me, and i frankly couldn't care less!

[redcrx]

thanks for the comment about double barelling andy lol!

My maiden name ISNT double barrelled in his surname. His only D-B is his middle name

[Reverandfunk]

My middle name is Lovehorse

[natalie_1982]

Hi Andy - Hope you are well and had a lovely Birthday :-)

My sister in law's name is Kerry-Ann as a first name, and she has given her daugher the name Ann as a middle name.

My husband hates his name and is dead against having it as a middle name, I quite like the idea really, but respect him enough not to pursue it! Unless he really annoys me of course.... LOL

My middle name is Faye which is just something my mum liked at the time. Natalie came about because Natalie Wood died around that time and the name was popular. I found that most people my age called Natalie were named as a consequence of Ms Wood's death! Morbid, huh?!

[ethanryan]

hi my middle name is marie, the same as my moms and grandmothers, it was my great nans name which has been passed through so if i was to have a girl i would use that to. i have two boys, ethan thomas and ryan samuel, thomas we chose because i wanted it as a first name but my partner didnt so we compromised . samuel was after my brother that died.
why dont you pick your own name instead of using a family member, that way there is no arguments.

[Pippa68]

I have a middle name ~ but it was only added when I was six years old and being adopted by my stepfather. My middle name is Lorraine, and my dad chose it as his mate at work had just chosen it for his newborn daughter.

My children have middle names. My first child was given a middle name (Louise) simply because it was the 'done thing' and we ended up choosing one just because it went well with her first name..not because we really liked it!

My second childs middle name (Mitchell) was given because we both liked two names and couldn't decide which one to give him. We ended up flipping a coin to decide which one came first and the other second. A stark contrast to the first time round as we both loved our sons two names :o)

My third childs second name (Nicola) is after my aunt, who at 2 years older than me is more like a sister.

My fourth has two middle names..(Isabella Pearl) and are mine and Mr P's grandmothers names.