Why do people bother giving middle names to children?

[Nevada]

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

QofQ - are you from Zim/Zam. Remember Tongai as a lovely name from time spent there. My godsons are Zambian and have an English name and an African one (Kevin Daliso and Ryan Tato).

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I can't believe you are trying to out Nevada as a troll, is it a controversial topic to ask about mioddle names??? And regards being her first and only post... wait and see! she is new, not addicted yet!!!

Another multiculti one here; in fact both DP and I started life with one Asian one European name (I dropped my middle name, admittedly, but that was because I hated it and never felt it was 'me'. I am just not a Julia) and we wanted to do the same for our children.

Poor little Inferiorettes have both our surnames too.

probably repeating previous posts as haven't read whole thread, but we've given ds four names: first name that we both love, but that is a little unusual, second name after my dad, third name a fairly common or garden name that he can adopt if he hates the unusual, and fourth a family name that his late grandad on his fathers's side would have been really pleased about....it's a nice opportunity to tell a story about your child's ancestry as well as giving them options should they hate the name you choose for them to my mind...

i have two middle names. the first name of both my godmother (my gran) and my godfather (my uncle). we gave DD my last name as her middle name because my dad only had me and my grandad (who passed away about 7 years ago) was upset that his only son wouldn't be able to continue the family name (though it is the most popular one in belgium).

I have two middle names too. The only problem is that many forms don't give you space for more than one, and I find it really annoying if paperwork comes with only one initial, as I just don't see that as me. So we gave ds and dd just the one. If dd had been a boy, then we were going to give her an ordinary first name as the name we wanted to call her was a bit unusual. My two love their full names, and like to know who they are called after, and why we chose them. I've always thought that having just the one name was a bit plain.

Both mu dd have my maiden name as a middle as I am the last of a line.

KateF - yes my DH is from Zim - I met and married him out there (oh and DS1 has a "made in Zimbabwe tag" on his bum )

Wow - it'll take me some time to wade through this thread, then.

When I was little, I always thought that people with two middle names were really grand, and I aspired to that - dh and I had several names we liked, so he allowed me to dump the whole lot on our poor dds (only 2 middle names, not too bad). Funnily enough, they haven't actually thanked us for it, but it has always been a conversation piece, so I get my few minutes of fame (and looks of absolute horror).

What always amazes me is that people don't seem to look at what their initials spell, or if the shortened version of first name and surname mean something silly or rude etc. (there was, I am assured, an "I.P. Standing" at my db's school).

i agree about the initials - one of the best things i remember reading when expecting dTs is remember if you call them similar names like josh and jacob then give them a second middle name or else recieved letters will get confusticated.

i read that after giving my eldest the same initials as his dad without realising it - and now hes 15 and gets stuff from the SAME bank - it can actually be confusticating

i mean a different iddle name not a second one so the initials would be different

I didn't.

Within DHs family I know 5 people with DHs name (first and surname) None of them have middle names. It's nice to have that little extra identification, plus I like them having a 'secret' name iyswim. I like Dkids names, but the first name is for ordinary use whilst their middle names are more fanciful.

I like middle names. What I find odd is when parents name their child, for example, Charles Anthony Smith on the birth certificate but decide to use the name Anthony as his spoken name ?!!?

Why not name him Anthony Charles Smith on the birth certificate?

I find that odd too beatie. Does anyone here do that?

Dp's sister gave her daughter, (who has fairly unusual, trendy first name) a middle name that is the first name of both her grandmothers......Sandra.
Her second name doesnt even begin to complement her first name... i cant see the logic in it.

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I have 2 middle names as was brought up Catholic, one from birth and one you choose (a saints name, you do a project on it and get housepoints! yay!) for your confirmation name

I like the fact that its less likely that you get anyone else with the same name. DS has two middle names. Were not catholic or posh .

beatie, there was a girl at school whose name was actually Susan Elizabeth, but known as Elizabeth. When asked about it she explained that her parents wanted to use both names but Elizabeth Susan didn't sound right.

Changing the subject-If I had had a girl I would have called her Tallulah-I just love that name to bits!

My mum is called by her middle name, as her Christian name is the same as her mother's (and her grandmother's too - it's a traditional name on that side of the family). Having two Elizabeths in the house and others within the family proved difficult (you don't say!) so they used her middle name, and having grown up with it, she kept it as her first name. I now have it as my middle name and have been tempted to use it instead of my first name, which I detest.