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Middle names

(107 Posts)
watermeadow Wed 09-Jun-21 06:49:19

There seems to be an assumption now that children are given two forenames. I read lots of references to “the second name”.
I know that two has been the commonest number for many years. Many people now also have double-barrelled surnames.
It used to be mostly the aristocracy who had several names, though my mother and her sisters (very humble) had three each.
My brothers had one each and so do two of my children. I thought it a bit special as it was less usual and their single names were quite long.
Have all your grandchildren, like mine, got two names?

Luckylegs Wed 16-Jun-21 14:05:26

My dad had four first names! William Reginald Tyldesley Cornthwaite and then his surname! I loved it. He explained that we should have been double barrelled - Cornthwaite-******** but never bothered. I really fancied a double barrelled name.

timetogo2016 Wed 16-Jun-21 13:17:02

My sons don`t have second names,it was hard enough to choose their first name.

BlueSky Wed 16-Jun-21 11:03:01

Two names but always known by the second only. So when called in a hospital waiting room I tend not to answer first time!

Michael12 Wed 16-Jun-21 10:58:18

I have a middle name , and have found that is taken from the family tree , and could be a Godparent relative.
Mick

CarrieAnn Tue 15-Jun-21 16:25:26

I have two names and don't like either of them,but I definitely prefer them to my Grandmas idea which was Minnie after her and Norah after my godmother

effalump Mon 14-Jun-21 13:45:48

I've always used my middle name. Why, because my first is the same as my mother's. No, I wasn't named after her but her two best friends. Over the last ten years I've become used to going by my first name because, after being made redundant years ago, forms always ask for first name. I usually put first name but underline my middle name for emphasis but no-one picks up that that might be the one I go by.

CBBL Fri 11-Jun-21 21:52:47

I have two Christian names, but do not like the second. My siblings all have two forenames. My husband has only one first name.

Savvy Fri 11-Jun-21 09:39:45

I have a hyphenated first name, but a lot of people keeping putting the hyphen in the wrong place and I have to correct them. They just assume the hyphen gives me a double barrelled surname.

MaizieD Fri 11-Jun-21 09:14:52

My siblings and I have only one forename because my mother disliked her middle name and said it wasn't fair to saddle a child with a name they didn't like... (she didn't much like her forename either, poor thing). My children have two, as does my partner and so does my GS. I was bothered about only having one when I was much younger but I really don't care now. I'm perfectly happy with my one name.

My daughter 'double barrelled her surname when she got married as she'd had academic papers published in her maiden name and she wanted people to realise that she was the same person on later publications...

harrigran Fri 11-Jun-21 08:56:58

My parents had just one name which was a shame as my mother hated hers, she was named after the lady who loaned my grandmother the horse and trap to get to church for the baptism.
DH and I have two names as do DC, useful to have two as we have a very common surname. DD never liked her name and shortened it as soon as she could talk.
GC have two, eldest is called after her two great grandmother's, the youngest sounds like a Scottish Island where we had a lovely family holiday.

GrauntyHelen Fri 11-Jun-21 00:05:51

My mother had 3 she reckoned by the time she had written her name on exam papers her peers had finished a question therefore my sister and I only have one my husband and hers have one my niece and nephew have one stepson and daughter have 2 grandchildren have 2

Nannytopsy Thu 10-Jun-21 23:09:12

Like others, I am known by my middle name. It was never an issue but in these computerised days I have to use my first name much more. A warning to parents!

Elvis58 Thu 10-Jun-21 23:04:39

I have 2 names,my 3 children have two names as do my 4 grandchildren.

MaggsMcG Thu 10-Jun-21 22:08:05

I have three daughters 50, 47 and 42 none of them have middle names. I had enough trouble deciding on their first names.

LadyGracie Thu 10-Jun-21 21:02:32

I have one, DH has three, our children and grandchild have two. My mother and father both had two. My two eldest siblings have two, four younger siblings, one.

Marmight Thu 10-Jun-21 20:29:58

I have 2 (I much prefer the 2nd) my 3DDs have 2, 2 GC have 3 but the 3rd is their Mum’s maiden name although not double barrelled, another has 3 and the other 5 have 2. Phew!
Some years ago a neighbour’s GC was given 11. She was mortified

Saggi Thu 10-Jun-21 20:20:41

Me,one brother and one sister had 2 names each...my other brother had 3. Mum had 1 and dad had 2. My kids had 2 each until my daughter changed her given name by deed-poll coupla months ago. Now she has 1. Her daughter has 2 and her son has 3..... included is the name of her favourite cousin who died on her 21 st birthday.

Diane318 Thu 10-Jun-21 20:17:38

I have 2 names and all my friends know me by my second name. I know quite a few other people who are like me and use their second name.

Shawlands2000 Thu 10-Jun-21 19:55:03

I was adopted and after locating my original birth certificate, I discovered my birth name was Rosemary. I much prefer the name given to me by my adoptive parents. They also gave me my adoptive mother's maiden name as a middle name. My youngest daughter gave her first son the same name as a middle name. We are in Scotland.

Rowantree Thu 10-Jun-21 19:51:25

My middle name is Regina. You can imagine my suffering at school.

Alegrias1 Thu 10-Jun-21 19:45:50

My Grandmother had 4 names + surname shock

She was born out of wedlock, as they used to say. Her first 2 names were her grandmothers' given names and her second 2 names were their maiden surnames. Then there was her own surname. Just so nobody forgot who was involved in her creation, I think!

Then when she got married she had 6 names in total!

She wasn't posh, but I used to think she must be with all those names.

mamaa Thu 10-Jun-21 19:40:03

My mum had 2, as did my dad. I have 2 as does my brother his 2nd is the same as my dads, my second was after the midwife who delivered…my brother!

Polly4t42 Thu 10-Jun-21 17:47:39

As far back as I know my family have always had middle names, usually names of favourite aunts, uncles or godparents. My middle name is one of my godparents chosen as it meaning with my first name means little Pearl. My son(IVF) has two middle names as we only child(n only 12% chance of success in 1980s and we wanted him to have both family names. Our grandchildren have two middle names as culturally my daughter gives her maiden name as the second middle name.

4allweknow Thu 10-Jun-21 16:12:43

I have two as did my sister but both brothers only one. GS has two, GD has 3.

aggie Thu 10-Jun-21 14:08:30

I must have hit the jackpot! My first name is my great grandmas maiden name , followed by my grannies first names , so three first names plus a Saints name at Confirmation ! Then my maiden name is. Mc ….. and married name is O’ …. , such fun filling in forms ! But my post never gets mixed up with anyone else , I have never met anyone else with my name !