Why do people bother giving middle names to children?

[Nevada]

I just can't see the point. When would you use them?

Gives the child a chance to change their name (without any complicated legal process) if they don't like it. My niece has done this and so did my brother.

Because they like the names? Because they want to use a traditional family name? Because they can?

We gave DD a middle name to remember my Gran who passed away before she was born.

When I was younger I always wanted a middle name as I didn't have one, I think I invented one Charlotte it was!!!!

i use my dd middle name all the time, especially when she is being naughty and she gets her whole name called at her

So that the child knows it's really in trouble when all of their names get yelled at them?

Family names for us.... Jessica has a middle name of Helen which is rife in my family, and bump will have middle name of either Alison (my mum who died last year) or James ( another name rife in my family

because then each parent can choose a name? lol.

we loved the name Dixie, but werent brave wwere not brave enoigh to use it as a 1st name, so its dd3 middle name.

Because we're allowed to call our children anything we want to?

I can't see the point of a lot of things other people do.

DS has a very ordinary middle name (his Great Grandfathers name) however a while back he was insisting that his middle name was.........

Glitter
don't ask me why

my nephew is named after my dad (its family tradition now! ) My sister is Rebecca Lee and he is Joshua Lee. They both flow I think. All of our family names go really!

I use mine for user names the 4th one dosen't get used much but it's a family one that we all have (brothers, DD, nephew, cousins)and then thiers mt surname so i have 5!!

I haven't got one, nor have any of my family but I have no idea why! I have met several other people who are from the same place who have no middle names though.

that is lovely

Try putting 5 names in the little boxes provided on application forms (on my passport my names go on to a second line) NO NEED!

because we are a multicultural family and want our children to have a name and a surname from each culture. That way they can fit in wherever they choose to live as adults.

That's a nice reason shimmy21

Simply family tradition for me.

My middle name is my great-grannys, my sisters is my grannys etc.

My dd is my grannys.

I also like the idea of being able to use her whole (3 word name) when angry!!

My dds is my other grannys I meant to say, not the same as my sisters.

I certainly knew i was in trouble when all 'full' names where used, actually still do!

So you know what thier MIL/FILs first name is

please do it. I have taught a class that had two James Smiths in it, neither had a middle name. It was hell!

I have always been of people with three names. I even made up a middle name for myself when I was about 10 and told everyone it was real

it was a really outlandish name too!