How many second names can a baby have? Uk/Ireland

[cretelover]

Hi, can anyone tell me how many second names can be on a birth cert ( not surnames). We would like to give our baby an independent first name and the names of both grandparents too so it would have 3 first names. Is there a limit on birth certs - I'm in the UK. Bonus points of anyone can answer the question for a church of Ireland baptism too!

As others say, there is no limit, but it will likely get shortened on official ID if the names are too long. I've had this, as have a few of my friends.

I have a friend with two middle names and her driver's license is [first name] [first middle] [second middle initial] - not sure if licenses have a shorter limit than passports [where it fits] or if the DVLA just cut off first names after two.

@BiBabbles

As others say, there is no limit, but it will likely get shortened on official ID if the names are too long. I've had this, as have a few of my friends.

I have a friend with two middle names and her driver's license is [first name] [first middle] [second middle initial] - not sure if licenses have a shorter limit than passports [where it fits] or if the DVLA just cut off first names after two.

I’ve just checked and my driving licence is the same. Name name initial name. Shortish names, too.

Thank you RickiTarr. That's interesting.

I kept name lengths vaguely in mind as it can be a pain trying to fit it all into boxes (and now, on website's box limits) and with it fitting on ID, but looks like different ID has different rules for this.

Someone at DVLA disapproves of bourgeois naming practices.

When my grandad was born he was the youngest of 12 children (10 boys) and doctors told my great grandmother that they expected him to die at birth (not sure why exactly). So they gave him all his brothers names as middle names, again I don’t entirely understand why! Clearly he survived and spent the rest of his life with the most ridiculously long name. Its on his birth certificate, although not sure if that many names is still allowed now! I don’t remember seeing a limit though when we registered DD?