How many middle names are too many?

[Lizadork]

Just that really, how many middle names are too many?
Have you come a cross anyone with a lot?

My family/friends tend to have no middle name, one middle or two.

What about when you add your partner's name as a middle name - that adds things up too.
Example:
Sarah Louise Elizabeth Williamson (dad's-fake-surname) James (mum's-fake-surname).
Receiving post or filling in forms as Miss S L E W James.

Just feels like a lot.

As a last born child on the way, it is hard not to want to throw every name at her.

Quite interesting reading though, especially being confused for a nutcase killer :D Seems most are of the opinion that less is more in terms of middle names. Don't some of the royals have super long names?

One is plenty. 2 at a push

I have 3 middle names as do some of my siblings. I like my name, despite it being long, and all the form filling nightmares. Every name has a meaning to my parents/the family.

One first, two middle one last
Two first one middle one last
One first one middle one last
Anymore than that is just show off and ridiculous guarantee they are not as wealthy as the name

Two last* is the maximum

I have three and it is a pain. I had to have an extension sheet for my passport application.

In real life I never use them and they don’t have any significant meaning to me.

I think one is enough —but one of my kids has two—. It does depend a bit on what they are though. James McDonald Winterbourne Evergreen Smith = a bit posh, fascinating parents. James Matthew Samuel Benjamin Smith = we couldn’t decide between a load of pleasant, but mundane names so we threw them all at our child.

Strike through fail.

I have three. My DC have three apiece, as I feared I might not have enough children to use all my favourite names otherwise. XH and I both have double-barrelled surnames . However, the DC are not quadruple-barrelled.

I wanted to give my children two middle names each, but my husband vetoed that on the grounds that it was pretentious (and that he really didn't like the second middle name I wanted for our first child).

My dad didn't have a second name and when he lives in the US for a while some of the official forms he had to fill out couldn't cope with that. They used to put him down as Dad N.M.I Fifth.
When he queried it he was told that NMI stood for No Middle Initial!

Well two is too many. Otherwise it wouldn't be a middle name.

Agree. I think you should only use a middle name to honour somebody.
Can't understand these threads were people ask 'what middle name goes with?'.

Nobody uses your middle name so really no need for them. Unless for sentimental reasons.

You've got it Lizzie

My kids have their grandparents names as middle names.

Op, yes royals seem to have lots of names. But you're not royalty

An old friend of mine had eight. The very day she was old enough to change her name by deed poll by herself, she went to the registry office and ditched all but one.

@spiderlight you don't need to do a deed poll to get rid off them. I did my passport and them asked

Sorry should have added - "then asked the DVLA for my driving licence to match my passport.
All other ID then followed. "

Depends on length of overall name. I had 2, but only gave ds1 as his surname is longer, being a combination of mine and dh surname.

My DDs have two middle names, the second of which they share: First name/middle/shared middle/last name.

They don't tend to use the shared middle e.g. on school documents but we gave it to them as it's a family name.

If you're royal enough not to have an actual surname, then you can have as many middle names as you want.

Otherwise one is plenty, two is okay, more than that is too many.

@bridgetreilly the Royals have lastnames but they have so many titles they aren't needed. Also the current crop don't have loads of middle names they have 3 and the younger lot have 2.

No, the senior royals have names which they use when they need a surname, but they don't have actual surnames. So,for example, in the Army, Harry and William were known as Harry Wales and William Wales, but that's not their surname.

What bridgetreilly said. The surname thing is a bit of an invention for convenience and possibly to make them less weird to the public. Image, relatable, yadda ya...

We have a great surname, , which is also a bit of a mouthful, so we went with no middle names, felt it detracted from the whole name .

So I would say depends on how “interesting” the first and surname is....

More than one middle name is excessive. I'm not a fan of them I just think they're pointless. If the surname is double barreled the no middle name.

@bridgetreilly I hate the royal family utterly pointless. But their last nme is Windsor. Like only decide by king George but still it is their surname.

We're having 2 middle names as my husband has a tradition of family names which we really want to use and I want my family to have a name in there as well. So 2 it is!