to ask if anyone calls their DC by their middle name?

[purplestar0]

Our DD has a first and middle name (and surname!). She is 2 and since she was born we have been increasingly using her middle name as it's easier to say, less frilly than her first, and we just prefer it.

Does anyone else call their DC by their middle name and if so, what was your reason? Does it ever cause any confusion - do others use their middle name or first name?

Most of the first born women in my family are (supposed to be) called 'Isabelle'. So we are all known by our middle names.

Thankfully my Dm changed that little tradition, as all my DCousins are Isabelle Something.

My granddad was known by his middle name by most people. It seemed to be a bit of a family tradition, my great granddad was known by his middle name too.
I used to find it funny when we had big family get togethers, as half the family would use his middle name and the other half used his first name. So conversations would sound very confusing to those on the outside, my granddad would happily answer to either. For example my uncle would say "Peter can you pass the salt please?" Granddad wouldn't hear him so my auntie sat next to him would say "David can you pass the salt to Steve please?".
Both were talking to the same person.
My Granddad was known by both names, plus was Dad and Granddad to many. TBH I think he just answered to anyone who seemed to be talking to him regardless of what name they said!
It never caused great confusion.
Though my Auntie (by marriage) also went by her middle name, but her parents forgot to tell school that she would only answer to her middle name. She spent her whole first day at school sat on the carpet quietly, not joining in at all with the activities. At the end of the school day her mum went to collect her and was told by the teacher that her daughter was either deaf or rude!
They then realised the teacher had been shouting her first name all day, so she would not have responded as she had never known her name as that.
So I think if you want to swap to the middle name you need to make it clear to school that she will only answer to the middle name.

My dad has always been known by his middle name

Same with a good friend of mine

I used my middle name from childhood, and found it an absolute PITA. Any time you feel vulnerable or out of your comfort zone, talking to any kind of official body, dentist, doctor, basically anything with the potential to be a bit scary, they call you the wrong name. If my DD prefers her middle name, which I hope she won't because that's the bland family name and I love her first name, but if she does, I'll change it for her as soon as she's convinced me that she's serious about it. I wish I'd changed mine years earlier.

I know 4 people known by their middle names. 3 are older, and my cousin is in her 30s.
My aunt and uncle wanted to call her a short, very modern name but there was much pursing of lips by older relatives so they gave her a very traditional first name with their choice as a middle name. She's always been known by that name.

I have always been called by my middle name, why? I don't know.

My Dhs cousin got married a few years ago after I had known her for about 10 years.
During for wedding vows the vicar used a name I had never heard before!
I asked Dh about I afterwards and he thought I knew she has always been known by her middle name.
Ditto my mil.
Didn't know for years that the name everyone calls her by is her middle name.

Both my DCs have always been called by the second of their three forenames. (XH was insistent they have foreign, complicated, difficult to spell first names to keep his family happy, which have never been used.)

It's a major hassle and I wouldn't recommend it. We once had a pharmacist totally confused because he had half DS' medical records in one file and half in another, as he thought they were two different people. We've also had problems at hospitals & with flights.

Recently DS had to fill in a form at school to confirm his GCSE registrations. Let's say his name is Firstname Robert Thirdname Smith, but he's always been known as Bob, so he wrote Bob Smith. With two weeks to go before the exams, the school realises he should have been registered as Firstname Smith. Cue major panic by the school as they have registered someone who legally doesn't exist. Eventually we reach a compromise whereby his certificates will be issued in the name of " F Robert T Smith".

I think in the past when people used middle names it wasn't so problematic because things were more casual then. But now that everything is computerised and official, it's a real pain.

My boss goes by his middle name, which is good as his first name is the same as my dog's

Dd sometimes is depends on my mood and how many button she had pressed

My Dad is know by his middle name as for some bizarre reason his Grandmother when registering his birth, decided to completely ignore his DM request and give him the christian name the same as his surname abeit spelt different and a totally random middle name ..

So think Stuart Bert Stewart, when she wanted him to be called say Gary David Stewart.

Everyone knows him as Bert, even my GP called him it, very few know its not his birth forename luckily

My dad and brother do - eldest boy thing. Every eldest male on dad's side have the same first name. They then are known as their middle names :S
My H's daughter from previous marriage is known by her middle name by friends and family but at school her actual first name. When we first met and he called her her name and then I saw her school bag or something else with other name, I was quite freaked out!! She is sooo the name we call her, its funny when we see someone from school.

I'm Mary Louise but I've been Louise all my life. No confusion.

I teach and have known a lot of kids to go by a middle name over the years. Usually at least two or three in a year group. Not unusual at all.

My brother is known by family as his 2nd name (he has 3 names plus surname, family tradition).

My dad is known by a nickname. Most people didn't know that wasn't his real name.

My uncles also were known my middle or nicknames, just the generation it is.

I have no issue with it as long as kids are aware of what their name is, and also what they're called.

There's never been any confusion with filling in paperwork because legal name is always on forms. Nickname should never be used for companies etc. Just as a friend thing

Its no big deal to change a name by deed poll. When your dad is old enough, before her GCSE s ask her which name she prefers and change it so that her certification is in commonly used name.

There is an advert by (I think) an insurance company with the strap line "because life's complicated enough" which is how I feel about this.

My husband is John Fred Smith known as Fred. (Not really his names!). On all unofficial things he is down as Fred. On all official things he is down as J. Fred.

Generally everything is fine.

And then - very occasionally - it turns into a sodding nightmare! An important, much worried about medical test went missing so we had to have it redone. Two hours before we were due to exchange on our house there was suddenly a need to fax through extra ID. Occasionally having problems paying in cheques.

It's just an extra hassle for a name that PIL never had any intention of using.

I'm known by my middle name. Apparently my mum let my dad register my name and he switched the order! Anyway she just got on with always calling me by the name she liked .

It's never caused me any problems, all official docs including passport and NI number are in my day to day name (no idea how looking back since I never officially changed anything) only NHS card is 'correct' - I just tell health service people what name to call me! Call her what you like and register her at school in the name you'll use not her proper name.

One of my DDs is called Askeline - it's Swedish and the name of my DH's grandmother and we love it; however as it's (to quote my upper class and supposedly well-educated family) difficult to spell and pronounce, we kind of all got into the habit of calling her by her middle name - which, to be honest, I absolutely love.

I am also known within my family by a different name to the one I use.

If my DD decides to use her proper first name, then she is welcome to use it. Equally if my other daughter - who also has a Swedish name, Malin and an English middle name, chooses to use her other name, then that's also fine.

Bloody confusing though

DBro has the family name as his first name, but is called by one of his middle names. This happens in every generation, where all the first born boys have the same first name, but the oldest of the cousins uses it.

I have always used my middle name. I think my father liked the name best but it works better as a middle name than my first name. It's always been ok a bit go a pain at times if I forget to fill out a form with my first name and then need to show ID. Also all my certificates have my first name so can confuse some people at interviews but overall it's fine.

My dh's name is a family tradition too. But we decided to go with my family tradition known as

"Give your kid a name you like and then use it!"

It's been going on for generations....

I have several family members who go by their middle name. Not sure why!

With DD2 I do often use both her first name and middle name because they just go really nicely together!

Yes, we regretted our first name choice for our dd and call her a shortened version of her middle name.
At school she is known as her first name. At home we call her by her middle name, as do her brother's and close family.

My (foreign-born) BIL uses his middlename, as in UK his forename is a girls' name.

My brother gave his 2nd child a v uncommon name as first name (think Barry or Neville), and I assumed they would use the boy's middle name, but they haven't! Maybe he will when he's older