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Baby names

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

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Original poster

When will Grace, Rose, May stop being insanely popular middle names?

28 replies

justanothernameagain · 27/08/2017 00:00

I got my first flaming on mumsnet for saying I was bored of people calling their DC Grace / Rose / May as middle names, about 8 years ago. I was roasted alive!

It was fair enough tbh.There must be a load of people here who've used those names, so - as a poster helpfully pointed out at the time - I'd managed to offend half of MN with one post!

I didn't do that again.

But - I'm curious. 8 years later, they still pop up on pretty much every single thread about middle names!

When I was young, every other friend had Louise as a middle nane - or Jane, so they must change at some point!

How long do you reckon they'll last? What will come next?

Can you get stats on middle names from anywhere?

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IggyAce · 27/08/2017 00:12

It will probably change when those with Grace, Rose or May have children themselves and if anything like me (mines Jayne) give there child an usual middle name because they hated the fact theirs was popular.
It is also possible it will swing back to Louise or Jane/Jayne in honour to a grandmother.

Original poster

justanothernameagain · 27/08/2017 00:15

That long? Wow!

OP posts:

Sophronia · 27/08/2017 02:29

People seem to like one syllable middle names as they often flow well with the first name and surname. Problem is there aren't many classic one syllable girls names to choose from, so they'll probably be popular for a while yet. I agree that they're overused and unimaginative though.

manicinsomniac · 27/08/2017 02:37

One syllable names will always be heavily used I imagine, because of the flow.

But yes - I imagine it will be a whole generation. Our generation are mainly Jane, Louise or Marie. Our children are Grace, May and Rose. Just fashions, I suppose.

SarahJonesS · 27/08/2017 08:47

Yes, for a long time. Ann, Jane, Louise, Marie were popular for a very long time. Both me and my mum have Ann as a md.

lanbro · 27/08/2017 08:51

My girls have Beth and Marie as middle names, after myself and my sister, although nearly everyone of their peers have the names you've mentioned. Our dds first names are unusual though so went with more run of the mill middle names

Highpeak · 27/08/2017 08:51

I assume people feel they should have a middle name and just pick one which flows and is inoffensive. The names you pick out work well with the longer names which are fashionable at the moment (olivia, isabella etc)

I'm of the jane, Louise, marie generation but always liked that my middle name was different, especially as I have the most common first name for girls born then!

Personally, I think it's nice for a middle name to have meaning, dd has her grandmother's name who died before she was born.

WowserBowser · 27/08/2017 08:55

They do flow nicely, but I find them boring now. Everyone seems to have had a Grandma named May.

WildCherryBlossom · 27/08/2017 09:04

I worked at a company around 15 years ago which employed approx 6000 people. Playing around on the staff database when I was bored I worked out that, of the female employees, over 40% had the middle name Louise.

In another 15 years time it will probably be Grace.

They are simple names which are easy to blend with other choices and surnames. As pp said, the Grace, Rose, May generation will probably go back to Louise, Jane, Marie in honour of their mothers & grandmothers.

(The staff database also gave John as the most popular middle name - same reason probably - doesn't clash with other names, but not sure what today's male equivalent is?)

MollyHuaCha · 27/08/2017 09:25

I think Grace, Rose and May are all lovely names. I am fan of established traditional names rather than made up ones or names with weeerd sspelyngs.

New parents, carry on using these three names!

IndianaMoleWoman · 27/08/2017 09:35

I have two daughters. One has an unusual first name, so we went with one of the names listed for the middle name to give her the option of something more "normal" if she doesn't like it when she's older.

My other daughter has a common, traditional first name so we went with a more unusual middle name.

lurkymclurkerson · 27/08/2017 09:36

I'm 25 and my middle name is Rose, and I have lots of friends/family members who have that or May. They've been around as middle names for a long time!

crumbsinthecutlerydrawer · 27/08/2017 09:46

I think it maybe stems from some people feeling the need to give a middle name.

I'm not fussed on middle names particularly, although my two do have them. DS's is a family name on dp's side and dd has my gm's name. If there hadn't been a family name on dp's side for DS to use I wouldn't have given either of them a middle name. I've never known anyone who uses theirs for anything.

WildCherryBlossom · 27/08/2017 09:50

Ours get used! My children use their middle names as alter/egos when they are playing made up games. They don't have these names though - their first names are slightly more foreign, so they have more traditional English names as middle names.

Glowerglass · 27/08/2017 09:52

Yes named after granny - not always known who may have had another name which is not popular, Granny Brenda May, or Muriel Rose, guess which name makes it to the cut?

My generation is knee deep in Jane/Elizabeth/Anne

treaclesoda · 27/08/2017 09:55

I'm in my early 40s and at least half of the girls I went to school with had the middle name Elizabeth.

I think it has probably always been the same, that one particular middle name is used a lot. Much more than with first names.

blameitonthebipolar · 27/08/2017 09:59

My dd's middle name is Valentine as she was born ( 2 weeks early ) on Valentine's Day which is also our anniversary.

I hate mine though and hardly ever mention it on forms etc.

blameitonthebipolar · 27/08/2017 10:01

I heard someone screeching recently "Denver May" "Demi May " at her 2 dd's.

How original!

gunsandbanjos · 27/08/2017 12:59

I don't mind so much them being middle names but the Mai, Mae, May variations as hyphenated first names is so grim.

Dustbunny1900 · 27/08/2017 15:25

Ha! My middle name is Louise and my sisters is rose. Nobody ever accused my parents of originality 😉

Add to that list "Marie" , "lynne"

Jooni · 27/08/2017 17:22

WildCherry The make equivalent is most definitely James! I am not exaggerating when I say that I know very few children of my kids' age (under 3's) whose middle name is not James or Rose, and I know a lot of small children!

Jooni · 27/08/2017 17:22

*male

lotsofconfuse · 27/08/2017 18:45

It was Louise when I was younger... Sarah Louise, Becky Louise etc etc.
It's just fashion.
Personally I would hate my child to have the same name as everyone else.
I swear to god there are 5 Amelia-Rose's at my dd nursery

lotsofconfuse · 27/08/2017 18:46

You only got roasted by the sheep who like to copy names.

Annabelle4 · 27/08/2017 18:51

Guilty of using Rose as a middle name for one of my dd's. yes it's popular, but flows beautiful after her name, and is a beautiful name & flower.

I think lately people are trying to be a little more unique, and have moved from May to 'Mae'. I know 3 babies born this year alone who are something Mae.

It's no big deal anyway. Middle names are hardly ever used, or known

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