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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

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Original poster

How did you pick a middle name?

49 replies

Laliberty · 07/10/2015 05:42

I've always been of the opinion that middle names should be where you honour family names or name the person 'after someone' where perhaps that name wasn't quite right for the first name (my DD has a middle name which is a diminutive of my sister's name). However now I'm pregnant with DS I'm struggling to find a family name (or diminutive of) that fits with my preferred first name and our surname. So I'm challenging my own opinion! What criteria did you use for a middle name? Or did you just use a name you love?

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HoweyWoloWizard · 07/10/2015 05:57

My ds' middle name is his dad's name :)

Tootsiepops · 07/10/2015 06:22

I'm due in 6 weeks. My mum and my mil have the same first name, so that will be the baby's middle name (we know we're having a girl). I'm not keen on the name particularly, but it will be a nice gesture.

ajandjjmum · 07/10/2015 06:23

DD after my grandmother, DS after my Dad.

Sorry - doesn't help you much!

Fugghetaboutit · 07/10/2015 06:24

My ds' middle name is my granddads and fathers name that runs in the family

TobyLerone · 07/10/2015 06:26

My children have 2 middle names.

DS has father's name, family name.
DD1 has name I loved, name I loved.
DD2 has name I loved, nana's maiden name.

So no pattern here. I don't think it matters at all.

mrsnec · 07/10/2015 06:49

I wanted to use a family name but couldn't get it past dh. We ended up with a middle name that's not a diminutive of the name I wanted but it's the same first syllable but spelt differently.

We live in a very religious area where they celebrate saints days and I realised dd would be left out at school for not having one so her middle name has a saints day because of that.

Also I had very strict criteria for a first name but when we couldn't choose a middle name we sacked all the rules so dd's middle name is very religious and top 20 which were both massive no no's for a first name but I think they sound great together. It wasn't even a name I love it just works. My tip would be to consider names that don't fit your usual criteria.

ooerrmissus · 07/10/2015 06:49

I agree with your reasoning, OP.

DS1 has grandfathers name and a family name as his middle names.

DS2 should therefore have had other grandfathers name. But I hate my dads name, it's grim. So he had DHs name and then my dads middle name instead. My dad was happy with that.

BondGate · 07/10/2015 06:58

Not much help to you here OP, we used family names here for both DC.

BondGate · 07/10/2015 06:58

For both DC's middle names even...

mrsschu · 07/10/2015 07:06

We used a family name for DD. For DS we just picked a name that we loved but didn't want to use as his first name, there wasn't a family name we wanted to use. If DS had been a girl, we would have used a family name again. I'm of the opinion that middle names are largely irrelevant and there's no need to agonise over them (most people never use them) so if there isn't a suitable family name, just pick something you like the sound of!

Packergator · 07/10/2015 07:09

Completely arbitrary. We picked a name we thought sounded nice with his first name!

DevonFolk · 07/10/2015 07:09

DD has two middle names. I chose one to honour my late mother, her dad chose the other in memory of his late grandmother. I definitely like the idea of using middle names to continue a family theme, then just go with something you really like for a first name.

Barbie1 · 07/10/2015 07:11

I haven't got a middle name so wasn't too fussed about the children having them...however we did give each of them one.

Dd, born after we suffered a mc and fertility issues. We were living in a Arabic country and gave her a name which meant little blessing...seemed apt at the time.

Ds, husbands name.

Ds2 both of our grandfathers name.

ThursdayLastWeek · 07/10/2015 07:13

We didn't - much easier to only have to think of one name!

FunkyPeacock · 07/10/2015 07:13

DD has my late MIL's name as a middle name

DS has the same middle name as my DH, DF & FIL (....and same as approx 50% UK males over 30!)

randomsabreuse · 07/10/2015 07:14

We went for more names we liked, one of which was far too close to a niece's name to use as a first name and didn't decide the second middle name until after she was born... Second one was a bit jokey but still nice.

Strong consideration of accidental spellings with initials meant 2 middle names were necessary!

SnozzberryPie · 07/10/2015 07:35

I wanted both dc to have a family name from my side as they have dp's surname.

Ds (as yet unborn) may have the family name as a first name because we really like it, if so we will choose a middle name just because we like it.

crapfatbanana · 07/10/2015 09:49

My parents just gave me and my sister dull middle names that were popular at the time - ie Lindsey and Louise.

I used family names for my kids' middle names.

Don't use one if you can't find something right. Or let your child choose one when they're older.

rubybloom2 · 07/10/2015 12:02

We shall be choosing middle names we love rather than to honour family members (as there aren't any family names we like!).

I don't have a middle name and have always wished for one.

AlmaMartyr · 07/10/2015 12:08

My DCs have two middle names.

DD has my mum's first name and DH's mum's name.

DS has my dad's first name and DH's stepdad's middle name. The latter because DH is very close to his stepdad, the middle name is a traditional one in the family and we didn't want to use his first name in case DH's dad was offended. Politics!

My middle names are the names of my grandmothers and I love that.

BettyOctopus · 07/10/2015 12:31

All the children have middle names that reference films that we liked at the time Dd1 is now old enough to have watched all 'her' films in the series, DD2 can't see hers til she is 18! And littlest isn't interested in films yet but it was chosen by the eldest two and is more of a family movie

PurpleDaisies · 07/10/2015 12:35

I don't have a middle name. I wouldn't give a child one (personal preference, not meant as judgy).

It is a good place for a name that might be a bit too out there for a first name.

mmmuffins · 07/10/2015 12:39

We just chose a name we liked. Family relations can be tense on my side so I have decided to completely avoid naming DC after anyone!

Thumbcat · 07/10/2015 12:40

I think middle names are a bit pointless so didn't give DC one.

AWhistlingWoman · 07/10/2015 13:23

All family names for middle names

DD1 named for DGM and me (we have the same middle name)
DD2 named for DMIL
DS1 named for DD1 (sadly died before he was born)
DD3 named for DM

No first names for family members though!

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