To think middle names are pointless

I like having a middle name. I don’t really use it but I like seeing it written down.

They are used to distinguish between two people of the same name.

Mine reminds me of my grandmother. My mum asked her to choose my middle name. I like middle names, all my children have them.

I don't have one and it's never bothered me .
I think they are useful if you have a family name you want to use but they are not necessary.

Some may see them as pointless. Some see them as a way to honour and remember a much loved family member. Our 2 DGC have middle names that do this and I think it's rather lovely. If there no middle name you particularly like or want fine.Do without.

I don't have one, neither does my sibling or either of my parents. My children have 2 middles names to make up for it!

There are no rules.... go wild.

If you think there are pointless then don't give them to your children. I know a few people who don't have one. It doesn't really matter.

Some people like having a middle name or giving their children one. A few reasons I can of ...
Honouring relatives.
Including maiden surname if not wanting to double barrel.
Having lots of names on the shortlist and wanting to use them in some way, particularly if one parent wasn't willing to agree on it as a first name. (This happened to us, we had very different taste in names and both compromised on the first name, then chose a middle name each!)

I think they are totally pointless. I have one but I only ever use it on official forms so pretty rarely.

DH doesn't have one

I don't have a middle name and always wanted one. As a kid I used to invent middle names and accuse parents of being too mean to give me one :-). Just choose yours, husbands, grandparents' or siblings' name if you can't think of one, something nice. There are people who use a middle name rather than first for various reasons.

I don't think they're pointless. As PPs have pointed out, they're a good identifier in many situations. I love mine and always include it when giving my name, so everyone who knows me knows it.

I also love that it's a name going back for at least eight generations in my family, and that I'm the current bearer for this generation. I don't have a daughter but I am quietly hoping one of my sons will pass it on.

I might not love or use it so much if it were just a random name they picked for the sake of it.

I used my middle name as I preferred it to my first name, as did my grandfather. My sibling was not given a middle name and it is a lifetime annoyance to him, I think he honestly felt our parents just couldn't be bothered to think of one for him. Just 2 letters looks a bit measly on forms and situations at work where your intials form part of your identification. Even worse if the 2 names are fairly common.

Yes, if you get 'full first name-middle name-surname' then you know that you really are in trouble!

I use my middle name frequently. I have a very unique first name, never met another with my name, but a common middle name. I call it my Starbucks name. I use it for orders in-person, to save having to pronounce and spell my first name. Same if I meet people in clubs/bars/loud places.

None of our family have middle names - much easier filling out forms and well, just in general not having a redundant name i guess!

I've known lots of people who don't have them. It's fine to not have a middle name. In many cases it's the 'compromise' part of the name, and it doesn't serve any real purpose.

I love my middle name. It’s my paternal grandmother’s surname and it’s reet northern, not posh. Personally, I don’t like double barrelled names

Haha I laughed at this because even now if my mum middle-names me, I know I’m toast.

I quite like middle names when they’re meaningful- mine is after my dad’s niece who died in the months before I was born - she was only in her twenties, it was a great loss - and I’ve always felt proud to carry her name on. Similarly my children have names after relatives that are meaningful and DHs is after his grandfather who died before he was born.

I always feel a bit sorry for people who don’t have middle names. Feels a bit low effort. Equally I never get it when people just chuck in an Anne or a John (unless it’s after someone) because that also seems a bit like their parents couldn’t be arsed. What, you don’t/didn’t have a single aunt/friend/Nana you like/d?

I've been trying to find probate information for a long lost relative. It would have been way harder if he hadn't had a middle name.

I think if you're not keen on your first name, it's good to have the option of using your middle name.

Honestly though they're just for fun, and that's okay.

Every culture also has different naming conventions, and it's typically also part of white British culture to have middle names

It can really help to distinguish people from each other.

Definitely. I didn’t give my boys middles names. I would have done had there been an additional name that I loved but giving them for the sake of it seemed pointless. I never use mine unless I HAVE to!

Useful for the media to refer to serial killers or otherwise terrible criminals. Makes them unique from the other John Gacy's or Lee Oswald's.

Personally I always wished I had one growing up. But apart from my partner I couldn't tell you the middle name of any of my friends though. Makes me think it doesn't matter if you have one or not.

I think middle names should have a family connection, not just be some random name pulled out of thin air.

A good way to honor parents and grandparents.

We didn't give our DCs middle names because we'd already double-barrelled their surnames and so adding even more names seemed excessive. I quite like a good middle name though particularly if there's a story behind it. That being said I avoid using mine because it's my useless father's name and I'd rather not be reminded.

I also have family where the son has the exact same first name, middle name and obviously surname as the father so it made getting post interesting.