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Original poster

Would you give your child your first name as a middle name?

81 replies

juniperdingleberries · 01/04/2016 15:32

Giving your child your middle name seems quite common, or another relatives first name as a middle name. But I never seem to hear of parents giving a child their first name as a middle name?

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Kim82 · 01/04/2016 15:35

My ds has his dad's first name as his middle name. I thought it was really odd but he insisted on it. I have since had 3 girls and wouldn't inflict my name upon them so they have their own individual middle names.

nightandthelight · 01/04/2016 15:39

My husband and his brother both have their dad's name as their middle name so the same middle name! Won't lie I find that a bit weird and unimaginative. I was very firm that that wouldn't be continued with our son. To be fair my opinion is probably coloured by the fact I don't like FIL! My ex had his father's first name as his middle name as did his brother and it didn't bother me (although I still wouldn't have done it if we had had a son together). It seems to be quite common if my DH and ex are anything to go by :)

Frika · 01/04/2016 15:42

No. I hate this 'calling the baby after X' line. I would assume that someone who 'insisted' on a baby having their name was either terminally unimaginative or arrogant. I spent most of my childhood living with my father's Uncle John, my father's father, John, my dad, John (called after his father and uncle), and my baby brother John (called after his father). All with the same surname. Like the Borg.

MollyBloomYes · 01/04/2016 15:43

My middle name is my mums first name and her mums middle name! I don't have a daughter but was toying with the idea of including a version of it as a middle name if I had a girl when I was last pregnant

Flumplet · 01/04/2016 15:45

I know someone who has recently had twin girls, both of the twins have the mothers name as their middle name. I find it a bit Hmm

ShoeJunkie · 01/04/2016 15:46

Ds1 has DH's first name as a middle name.

ThisWasCrownjewel · 01/04/2016 15:47

DS has DH's first name as a middle name. DD has my middle name as a middle name. Not specifically because we wanted to call either of them after ourselves, but more because we both like the names and they both "go" nicely with our DC's chosen first names.

Buglife · 01/04/2016 15:48

My middle name is my mums name and my brothers middle name is my Dads name, simply because they hadn't chosen any and when they registered us they put those in. Nothing 'arrogant' about it, they're just middle names! It's common for some families to have names that get passed down. I don't mind it at all, no one ever asks me what my middle name is! And even then it's a perfectly nice name and it's my mums, and I love my mum!

EssentialHummus · 01/04/2016 15:48

DP is Russian, so any kids we have, of either gender, will have his first name as their middle name. So if DP's name was Mikhail, our DCs would have "Mikhailov" or "Mikhailova" as middle names (m/f).

If I came from a "middle name" culture (I'm Jewish and middle names aren't a thing) I might feel more strongly about it. As it stands, I'm happy to have the middle name problem solved for me. But any DC will have mouthful names, lucky them!

Original poster
juniperdingleberries · 01/04/2016 15:51

It's interesting that it can be seen as more Hmm (arrogant? boring? Can't put into one word) than using a parents middle name.

I'll give some context for my post. DD has my first name as her middle name.
Reason- For various reasons I didn't want to name her after anyone in my family. I had several suggestions of other names including some from DPs side but he didn't like them. Nothing fitted really, DP wanted my middle name but it's really popular at the moment and I thought it would seem very ~lacking~. We even tried combining my middle name with a second middle name and DP still didn't like it. In the end he suggested my first name. If it wasn't my name I'd love it, it fits really well and flows beautifully. But I worry telling people in case they think I'm above myself! So I thought I'd post to ask opinions.

OP posts:
LucyLastik · 01/04/2016 15:54

It's a tradition in our family. My mum has her mums first name as a middle and I have my mums first name as my middle. DD1 has my first as her middle.

The same applies to boys in our family. So DS has DH's first as his middle.

It wasn't a problem until we had DD2 and then we ran out of parents so she ended up with the feminine version of DH's first name as her middle.

CremeEggThief · 01/04/2016 15:56

Yes.DS has his dad's middle name as his first name, so similar.

ivykaty44 · 01/04/2016 15:57

Both my dds have my name as a middle name, there is a very good reason

Dd1 I had a really difficult birth and I hadn't wanted middle name but her father did so she was given my name as middle name. dd2 was given my middle name by dd1

pilates · 01/04/2016 16:41

Yes, if it was nice enough.

YesILikeItToo · 01/04/2016 16:46

I did, sort of in error, and like you I feel a bit diffident about it Confused. It's her name now, though,so I guess I have to try and help her to rock it by being a bit more confident.

AngelsWithFilthySouls · 01/04/2016 16:51

DS has DH's name as his middle name. DH and his DF have the same first name so he wanted it included in some way and there was no chance we were having John Smith the Third! *Not actual name

BendydickCuminsnatch · 01/04/2016 17:07

Yes, I would. DS has the male version of my name as his middle name :)

Yika · 01/04/2016 17:10

Yes, I find this quite normal. We pass the same middle names around in my family.

Haudyerwheesht · 01/04/2016 17:10

Ds had dh's first name as one of his middle names along with my maiden name.

Dd has my middle name and maiden name as middle names.

SerenityReynolds · 01/04/2016 17:10

My DH's name is a strong family name on his side (and it turns out on mine too, if you go back a few generations). We planned to use it as a middle name for a boy. And then had 2 girls!

GoldPlatedBacon · 01/04/2016 17:12

If I ever have a ds then he'll have DP's name as his middle name as it's tradition in DP's family for the name to alternate from first to middle name so in theory if I ever have a ds, and he has a ds, then my grandson should have DP's name (although I will make it clear to any future dil that it's not compulsory!!). I'm happy with any ds having DP's name as a middle name. It's a nice name and I don't actually like many boys names and the few I do don't flow well together and as irrational as it sounds that is important to me.

However, I wouldn't give dd my name or my middle name - sorry to say it but I think it's weird (again completely irrational I know). I have some Irish relatives and it seems to be common for females to pass their names on but I'm not sure if that is an Irish/Catholic thing are just that side of the family!

CointreauVersial · 01/04/2016 17:14

I did!

I gave DD2 my name as her middle name. Why not? I like my name, and it went very well with her first name.

I have DM's name as my middle name (complete with unusual spelling).

Pinkheart5915 · 01/04/2016 17:15

Ds middle name is dh first name

IoraRua · 01/04/2016 17:19

I know someone who gave their first name to their child as a first name, with a tiny twist. Think Julie calling her child Julia. I thought it was a little weird, but whatever, didn't really care.
I don't think I'd even notice if a middle name was given as a first.

BertPuttocks · 01/04/2016 17:20

DS has DH's first name as a middle name.

It wasn't because we wanted to name him after DH. I really liked the name and would have used it as DS' first name but decided that would be too confusing.

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