Is there anyone out there giving only one name these days?

[toja555]

Hi, I never understood the two name (first-middle) madness, because I haven't meet anyone that is called with both names. I understand if it is given following cultural tradition, or family tradition involving family names, but other than that? My DS has only one name and I am now expecting the 2nd DC. I am feeling pressurised when someone asks what middle name I am thinking of... I am not thinking of that, I am only thinking of the only one, perfect name for our baby. Is this right nowadays? Is there anyone out there who is not giving a middle name?

My SIL only has the one name. It is a nice name but not the most interesting but was counterbalanced by her amazing surname. She has now changed her surname to DB's very boring one. She regularly moans about lack of a middle name.

I did give my DCs 2 names because their second names are family names.

As azazello says the middle name I have chosen is also a family name. This I feel is often a nice gesture depending on circumstances. My brother had just one name and soooo wanted a middle name as a boy he gave himself one and would make it known every chance he got! I think it was because he had a unusual first name and he wanted a plainer middle one to use!

Dh and i both only have the one and we gave both our boys only one i would hav been happy to put a family name second but dh didnt want to so we didnt in the end... Whats your babys name out of interest??

dh and I only have one name and we gave our dc only one name each. my father was named after his god parents and he really hates his names apart from his "main" name.

Neither me or my husband have middle names so we are considering not giving any to our baby.

I don't have a middle name and hated the fact when younger as felt 'left out' as I was the only child in my year without one. Not helped by the fact I hate my first name and have no back up.

I think it's useful if you have a back up name, but also to make your name more unique- there will be many many people in the country with your surname, many people with your first and surname but less people who share all three of yor names, or at least that's how I feel about it!

Neither of mine have middle names

They have overcome the problem encountered by chynah by making their own up, and they are hilarious!

Poohbearsmom, my DS is Dominic.
I can understand if children feel the odd one out if they only have one name nowadays, but how do they now? Are they being called with all names in schools these days? Amongst my friends, I only call them / their babies with one name and only came randomly to know that some of them have second names, not like they using them..
Interesting point about having a "back-up" name... but this could be a christening name, too.

*how do they now = how do they know

I wouldn't let anyone pressure you into giving DC2 a middle name if DS doesn't have one. Will only cause trouble. My mum (firstborn of six) was the only one without a middle name and still feels a bit off about it (her mum said she had decided on David Michael and caught short when she was told it was a girl ).

I don't have a middle name and have always liked not having one. D1 1 & 2 do have a middle name (it made sense for them) but ds3 and dd don't, so 2 of mine do and 2 don't. Don't have one if you don't want one

I have a middle name but it is so uninteresting that having no middle name at all would have been more interesting.

Mind you, there are 255 people on face book with my exact name, so maybe there are only about 100 who share my middle name too!!

For us, it's that we have so many gorgeous names we want to use, and only plan on having 1 or 2 children (if we can indeed have a second) that we want to use a few.

We are choosing our 'perfect' first name, and having 2 middle names - one from each family. It appeases the relatives, feels creative and unique. I have my grandmother's first name as a middle name, and which I'm passing on to DC1 if a girl, it makes me feel very close and connected to all involved.

DS only has one name. We could only think of one boys name we liked, but even if we had liked more we would have only given one. I have a middle name and have never seen the point of it. I don't know why it's the norm to have a middle name.

My DD has only one name and so do my sister and I.
I like the idea of family names as middle name but we didn't want to offend anyone!

At primary school we went through a stage of finding out what each other's middle names were. They were also included in games like Red Letter (if you had the letter in your name you could step forward the relevant number of paces, first one to the line wins).

I loved having an unusual middle name with a great meaning. My mum only has one name and doesn't like her name, or the lack of a middle name. I think she felt shortchanged.

I have given DD and now DS middle names as I find it usual, forms have a space for it and it is a chance for me to give them something a little more quirky that I (or DH) wouldn't necessarily want them to have as a first name. Just felt like an added bonus to me with no downside as you can just ignore them if you don't like it when older.

Aha - OP you and me think alike!! I don't have a middle name, DH doesn't have a middle name so when DS was born we made our decision that DS would not receive a middle name. You can only use one name at a time and we also didn't want to offend one or two male relatives in the family if we didn't choose THEIR name as the middle name, too much confusion etc. So we're more than happy with our choice three years on and you can't miss what you've never had.

Due DS2 next month and he will also not receive a middle name. First name + surname is more than adequate IMHO. Less paperwork for them too when it comes to filling out forms!lol

I was considering starting a thread like this months ago but thought no one would reply because everyone seems to be choosing a middle name for their DC these days.

I like the fact that DSs won't have a middle name - it makes them unique. It's nice to go against the grain sometimes in life. And it will always a talking point ofcourse!

toja555, my DS is Dominic too. He does have a middle name. Mainly because both of my parents had just the one name and felt the lack, so gave me and my brothers middle names.

Also both my DC have more unsual first names (particularly DD) so have given them more straightforward middle names in case they want to swap later. I spent some of my childhood asking to be called Clare (my middle name) as I felt my first name was too different - but now I love it.

I don't have a middle name. It's never bothered me.
We've given our DCs 1 or 2 each though - to give them more options if the first one doesn't work out, to remember family, and in case of DD and DS2 to mark something about the circumstances of their birth (Neva for DD as it snowed the day she was born; Keir for DS2 born on election night)

DH and I also couldn't see the point of middle names, so didn't bother for our two. However, it increasingly rankled me that we gave them DH's surname not mine, so last year changed their names by deed poll. They have my surname as a middle name now.

DH doesn't have a middle name but I secretly think he wishes he did.

I thought this thread is going to make me feel more confident about my one name choice, but now I only seem to feel worse. You guys mentioned two things that I have never thought about. One, that child can feel bad being the only one without middle name (if it is discussed with other children). Another, that there might be hundreds of the same first name-surname combinations in the world, but maybe only few the same first name-middle name-surname combinations. I am still adamant that we only call children by one name (and I never missed not having a middle name) and I don?t even get to know if other people have middle names, but now I feel as if my DS is lacking of something and another DC probably also will, because I am still thinking of only one name. Oh, maybe it?s just my pregnancy hormones are mocking around with me.