Multiple middle names

[custard]

How do you feel when you see a baby with multiple middle names? Alternatively, how you do feel about hearing a name announcement with no middle name?

I've always envisaged future children to have more than one middle name, purely so that we can incorporate some family names from both sides in without offending either family!

I only have one middle name (my mothers name) but when I was growing up I gave myself an extra middle name because I thought it sounded a bit cooler (I don't use that name anymore though). My sister's middle name is after my maternal grandmother. I often wondered how my paternal grandmother felt about neither of us being named after her. My brother's middle name is a non-family name my parents both liked.

My niece, who is almost 2, her middle name is Alyssa, which isn't a family name either, except it is very similar to Alice - our paternal great-grandmothers name.

I always find name announcements with no middle name to be somewhat lacking, especially if the name is common like Aidan or Isabella. If the first name is Zebedee or Beezlebub, it's probably not so much of a big deal!

How do you feel about middle names, notably multiple names? Do you think one middle name is enough or would you draw the line at 2?

An ex-boyfriend of mine had 5 middle names - I felt that was a little over the top myself!

[catheyc]

Personally, I never really understood the two middle name thing. Everyone I know has one middle name; I have only seen two middle names here on NB. Usually, I roll my eyes a little (at two middle names) and think it sounds a bit pretentious, but again, I have no real life experience with it. If someone's family always gives two middle names and that's what they're used to -- obviously that's what they'll continue to do with their kids. If someone has no family history of two middle names and just decides to do it to include more cool names ... it seems a little silly.

If I see a birth announcement with only the first name, I assume they left off the middle just for the announcement and I feel a little cheated (because I LOVE learning what people named their new babies). Honestly, it never occurred to me that the baby might not actually have a middle name. 5 middle names definitely seems over the top to me -- makes me think of royal families who give their kids lots of names and makes it seem like they're trying to be like the royal families.

[jesba]

My reaction to two middle names has many facets, such as: 1) there are two middle names : D 2) maybe there's a family tradition / lots of family to honor 3) maybe there is a British connection 4) this is a little precious / pretentious.

It kind of depends on the names, if they are short and/or traditional I'm like, OK, must be a lot of family names or they just wanted to make the name a little longer, which is fine, if they are all really fanciful, that's getting closer to the precious/pretentious or at least British : D.

My reaction to no middle name is 1) there is no middle name : D 2) I hope they don't end up wanting one 3) maybe they're European. A lot of Europeans (continental) I know have no middle names, it just seems more frequent there.

More than two middle names is really too much unless you're legitimately royal - even then, what really are you doing : D?

[knikkicharles]

my nephew has 2 middle names ...but one is his moms last name...they wanted to hyphenate but quickly realized that 2 12+letter names would make for a huge headache in his future...so erego his extremely long but outwardly manageable name...

[kiwigirl]

Having two middle names is definitely a British thing, and consequently some other countries colonized by Britain have also gone on to continue this trend.

When children don't have middle names i personally find it odd, only because where i come from babies are always give one. Even though i find it odd its not terrible though. It always intrigued me that Suri Cruise has no middle name..

[thompssn]

I'm getting ready to double middle name an expected daughter. No other child on either side of the family has double middle names (including my two others). So, I have My personal reasons, but it's not a family tradition.

A friend of mine has three young sons. No history in her family either, but she and her husband both wanted to included honorific names. I think the first names are all family names that are rather common (nothing that would get them picked on), the first mn is totally their "own" name, and the second mn is a family name that is a little more unusual that they may or may not like once they're older. That way, since it's the second mn it's the one that's the most easily dropped from legal and social things if they Really don't want to use it. I like the way they handled the formation. If I had thought about it before our first came along, all of mine would probably have double mn's.

No middle name is odd to me. Doesn't seem complete. My grandmother (one of 5 children) was the only one in her family that didn't have one. I have no idea why. My mom said for some reason she was embarrassed by that fact when she was a little girl, so she made up a mn for my grandmother to tell other people. I can't remember what it was now, I'll definitely have to ask her again!

I've only ever known one person with more than two mn's. A girl I went to school with was 3rd or 4th generation American, but the family still embraced certain aspects of their heritage. She had 3 mn's. But only one of them was "legal". She was just known socially, in her family mostly, with all of the names.

[stripedsocks]

For myself, every one of my children will need one middle name. Not none, not two. (or more)

I don't want to use more than one because I come from a family that USES and refers to people with their middle name. And I like that. I want what they have to be used. Also there's some bilingual religious/cultural issues going on in my own family, so they will have 1 or 2 additional religious names used at home and at services - my brother and I have 3 religious names each and they don't all get used, I use just my first and he uses just his last.

I think 1 first, 1 middle, 2 non-official religious is enough for any child of mine.

I have one family member who has no middle (my grandmother) and it was kind of a pain for her. Forms and stuff especially but also just because it lacks flexibility, I think.

[gblondie]

I have to middle names.
The first: just a name my mother liked,
the second is after my great grandma.

I have a 2 1/2 year old daughter who has two middles, again,
the fist was the name we liked second best,
the second middle is after my grandfathers last name (he has no sons to carry it on).

I think it's a lovely and special tradition that we are carrying on. I do think that it has to flow though. IE: Two middles makes Luna Zenobia Starling Henchel look even loopier than it was with Luna Zenobia Henchel. (just random names as example!)

[gblondie]

I have to middle names.
The first: just a name my mother liked,
the second is after my great grandma.

I have a 2 1/2 year old daughter who has two middles, again,
the fist was the name we liked second best,
the second middle is after my grandfathers last name (he has no sons to carry it on).

I think it's a lovely and special tradition that we are carrying on. I do think that it has to flow though. IE: Two middles makes Luna Zenobia Starling Henchel look even loopier than it was with Luna Zenobia Henchel. (just random names as example!)

[greyer]

On my dad's side the boys all have two middle names, the tradition goes back three generations. The first middle name always starts with D, and the second is Dodge. My dad is _____ DeLancie Dodge, his son (my half-brother) is _____ Douglass Dodge as is his son, who is a jr., and his other son is ______ David Dodge. I also would have been ______ David Dodge if I was a boy, but I lucked out.

I'm still debating whether I will continue the tradition (none of my sisters have, only my half-brother), but I like it just because of the sound of the name. If I do give two middle names to my children in the future it'll be because they have family significance, not just because they sound nice.