Is it really annoying to be known by your midlde name?

[TooMuchMakkaPakka]

DH and I are considering changing our baby's name (see other thread). I am keen to change but he is not. One compromise position could be to keep her first name intact but add in an extra middle name and then use that when referring to her. But I always thought this gave you problems with doctors surgeries, application forms, passport control and bascially anywhere where your name was written down. There must be people out there who use their middle name. Just annoying is it?

My father is known by his middle name, and we would have done the same for ds2 (but turned out to be dd). He doesn't appear scarred by it. All his official stuff has both names on it, he signs both initials and then surname. He is an accountant and has a few bank accounts, I've never heard him complaining about it! But then I don't think he has any objections to his first name, he just has never been called it by anyone (he did go to traditional schools tat called him by his surname though). I suspect he feels the same way towards his first name as most people do their middle names.

It might help that my father's middle name is very unusual (his first name is quite ordinary). So less of a risk for the bank maybe?

The cheques was the most annoying thing for me - because I do a lot of 'one off' concerts, where the cheques would be made out to my name as it appeared on the programme, it really was a pain.

Soupy - I would have been GLAD to have a name that rhymed. My parents gave me the initials NCP. Oh what a laugh.

Typical conversation at school;

'What's your middle name?'
'Cordelia' (obv not real name)
'Oh, so you're Cordelia Cordelia then?'
'No first name is 'N....'
'Oh, hahahaha, you're a National Car Park then? Can I park my car in your car park?'
'yawn's and walks away'

Oh what wits my parents were.

My DH is known by his middle name and it is a real pain - our bank have finally accepted that he can cash cheques in any name. Booking flights is a pain and when he was a child in school it took a few weeks before the teachers got used to it - every year as his full name appeared on the register. At work his email address doesn't match the name he is known by so he gets lots of calls to ask what his email address is. The list goes on.... and his mum doesn't know why she named him name1 name2 and called him name2 as she says 'oh I don't like name1 and never had done so I've no idea why I gave him that name....'

My friend was always known by her middle name (from birth). They always wanted to call her the middle name but didn't like the initials it formed so they swapped her middle and first names round.

She hated her middle name (the one she was known by) and wanted to be called by her first name. She's only now managing to be called by it in her early 20s (with a newish group of friends) because all her old friends - including me - know her by her original name.

So in short, I think it can be a complete PITA!

I am known by my middle name and have been for over 20 years. The only things that remain in my given first name are my passport and medical card.

I do always have to remember to book flights/ holidays with my given first name so obviously the ticket and my passport match.

All bank stuff/utility bills/voters roll/dentist/doctors etc. are in my middle name.

I would rather go through a bit of inconvenience than use the hideous first name I was given.

I have always been known by my middle name and its fine until it comes to schools, doctors, hopsitals, dentists etc. It can get very complicated and there is ALWAYS some explaining to do

When I was admitted to hospital in an emergency dh couldn't find me when he finally arrived as he was calling me by my middle name (as everyone who knows me does) and the hospital had me down by my first name...also didn't help matters that I hadn't changed my surname to his and was still going under my maiden name

If people call me by my first name it does take a couple of moments (sometimes more ) to register that they are talking to me and I have been known (when I finally got round to changing my surname) to sit there and not move when my name had been called at the dentist, until the penny finally drops.

Thanks everyone. It seems that being known by your middle name is not a great thing, as i shall tell DH. He thinks it is fine as his sister is known by her middle name, but as she gave all her children only 1 name, no middle name at all, perhaps she isn't too happy about it either.

I still hate having to explain, and often sit there oblivious when my first name is called out and get flustered and embarrassed.

I don't like either of my names, I would like to be called Sarah!!

DH and all his siblings are known by their middle names (their first name is their Catholic name, their middle is their given name). DS is too but not for the same reason. They do have to call him about 3 times at the doctors before I realise but that is more because they can't pronounce our surname so either just call his first name with no surname or say something that sounds nothing like our surname.

I hate it, it's a PITA.

No, my sister is known by her middle name it was never a problem her first name is ridiculously common, may as well be "miss" so she thought at about 8 or 9 that she'd opt for the far more exotic middle name instead.

It's very common in older generations.

My mum has always been known by her middle name and it hasn't caused her any problems. You just have to make sure that people/organisations etc note what name they should use.

Admittedly, when we moved here 3 yrs ago, it took a little while for the surgery and chemist to get their heads round, but they're OK now.