Middle name
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Many people's names include one or more middle names, placed between the first given name and the surname. [1] [2] In the Western world, a middle name is effectively a second given name. In the Anglosphere there is usually only one middle name, often abbreviated by its possessor to the middle initial or omitted entirely in everyday use.
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Despite their relatively long existence in the Western world, the phrase "middle name" was not recorded until 1835 in Harvardiana, a periodical of the time. Since 1905, "middle name" gained a figurative connotation meaning a notable or outstanding attribute of a person.
The use of multiple middle names has been somewhat impeded recently by the increased use of computer databases that allow for only a single middle name or more commonly a middle initial in storing personal records, effectively depriving persons with multiple middle names of the ability to be listed in such databases under their full name. Especially in the case of government records and other databases that are used for legal purposes, this phenomenon has sometimes been criticized as a form of discrimination against people who carry multiple middle names for cultural or religious reasons. However, it should be noted that this phenomenon is largely limited to English speaking countries since the different tradition in other western countries generally resulted in the development of databases which are able to handle more than one middle name.
In the United States, the middle initial is sometimes used in place of the middle name on identity documents, passports, driver licenses, social security cards, university diplomas, and other official documents. Examples of this form include George W. Bush and John D. Rockefeller. The abbreviation "NMN" (no middle name) or "NMI" (no middle initial) is sometimes used in formal documents where a middle initial or name is expected when the person does not have one.
Many people are not known by their first forename. This is often referred to as "being known by the middle name". In this case, wherever an additional initial is called for, the initial of the first name is used and the middle name is spelled fully. Examples of this form include G. Gordon Liddy and E. Howard Hunt. Some people don't even include the initial, such as Paul McCartney, whose first name is actually James, and Sean Connery, whose first name is actually Thomas.
In movies, a character who is about to enter a dangerous situation on purpose might say, "Danger is my middle name." This has been used so much that it has come to be regarded as a cliché.
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[edit] Western
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The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with English-speaking territories and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article or discuss the issue on the talk page. |
Middle names are often chosen by parents at the same time as the first name. Names that are popular as first names are also popular as middle names. It is traditionally reserved, however, that some parents may name the first born son after the two grandfathers with the paternal grandfather's name listed as a first name and the maternal grandfather's name reserved as the middle name. Other uses of a middle name include giving a name that would have otherwise have been a social burden to the child as a first name. Surnames are also sometimes given as middle names, usually to honor a relative. It is quite popular to use the mother's maiden name as the middle name.
In the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom, a child is sometimes given a middle name that is the first or middle name of one of his or her parents. In the United States, it's not uncommon for a baby boy to be given the same full name as his father, in which case the middle name may be used as if a first name so as to distinguish him from his father.
A woman with the first name Mary (or Marie or Maria) is often called by her middle name, because of the strong and enduring popularity of the name. American Southerners are sometimes referred to familiarly by both their first and middle names, such as Billy Bob and Betty Barb.
Middle names are usually not used in everyday life. People who are known primarily by their middle name usually abbreviate their first name to an initial (e.g. F. Scott Fitzgerald and W. Somerset Maugham). Sometimes the first name is unmentioned (e.g., Paul McCartney whose first name is James). Rarely, individuals are given only initials as middle names, with the initial(s) not explicitly standing for anything (e.g., Harry S. Truman). This practice is common among the Amish, who commonly use the first letter of the mother's maiden name as a solitary initial for the sons and daughters. Thus, the children of Sarah Miller would use the middle initial M.
Examples of multiple middle names: Elizabeth Alexandra Mary (Queen Elizabeth II), J. R. R. Tolkien, George H.W. Bush and V. V. S. Laxman. The British upper classes are traditionally fond of giving multiple middle names; for example, William Arthur Philip Louis, Henry Charles Albert David, or Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise. In even more extreme examples, British musician Brian Eno's full name is Brian Peter George St. Jean le Baptiste de la Salle Eno; Canadian actors Donald Sutherland and Shirley Douglas named their son Kiefer William Frederick Dempsey George Rufus Sutherland; and the given names of artist Pablo Picasso were Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Clito. Often, middle names are names of famous and influential people throughout history, such as well-known baseball pitcher Cal McLish, whose full name is Calvin Coolidge Julius Caesar Tuskahoma McLish.
It is also possible for a person to have no middle name. In case a person has no middle name, or has only a middle initial, forms requiring a middle name may have "NMI" (No Middle Initial) or the remark "Initial Only" filled in instead.
Particularly in parts of Europe, such as Italy and Scandinavia it's common for a person to have a given name and a surname, only. Nevertheless, some people in these countries do have middle names, and those who do relatively often have more than one, especially in Austria and Italy. In some countries, such as Sweden, the distinction is made differently; almost 90 percent of people have more than one given or first name, of which one is designated the "usual" or "calling" name (tilltalsnamn), whereas the term "middle name" (mellannamn) is formally reserved for e.g. a maiden name or mother's maiden name. The "usual name" is not necessarily the first in the enumeration; a person with the full name Sven Erik Anders Svensson (of which Svensson is the surname) may well be called Anders Svensson or Erik Svensson.
[edit] Arab
- See also Arabic name.
Arabs of the persian gulf states do not use middle names. Usually, the name of an Arab in the gulf states will be in the form of a given name followed by Ibn or Bint (son of/daughter of) and the father's given name.
Arabs in other parts of the Middle East will generally have two middle names: their father's given name, followed by their grandfather's given name. Occasionally, Arabs living in Western countries or people of Arab ancestry will continue this practice.
Some Arabs, partically Syrians, customarily place another name before the given name. While not appearing in the middle of the full name, this prefixed name serves the same function as western middle names. This name is often given as a blessing, and is frequently the name "Mohammad". For example, such a person might be named Mohammad Hadi, or Mohammed Basheer, where Hadi and Basheer are the given names by which the person would be normally addressed.
[edit] Catholic
For Catholics, during preparation for the Confirmation sacrament, the candidate for Confirmation usually chooses a saint to research and eventually makes that saint's name part of his/her name. The saint's name is put after his/her middle name, if indeed a middle name was given.
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Males in some predominantly Catholic communities Belgian, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Polish Catholics) are sometimes given what would otherwise be considered a female given name, especially the name Marie or Maria (famous examples being Erich Maria Remarque). In France, the most common case is to give a compound first name, such as Jean-Marie or, more rarely, André-Marie or Bernard-Marie; more rarely, Marie is used as third or subsequent given name. Females, too, are often given compound names which feature male given names, i.e. Marie-Pierre, or Marie-Georges. See French names for more details on naming practices in France.
Hispanic females, conversely, sometimes have the middle name José. This is particularly common in Roman Catholic families. Therefore, the name "María José" is a common female name, while "José María" is a common male name, such as with PGA Tour golfer José María Olazábal.
The use of such names is primarily a cultural issue, rather than a religious issue. There is no Church teaching regarding such names.
In many English-speaking countries it is customary for a person being confirmed in the Roman Catholic Church to adopt a Confirmation name, that may be used as a second middle name, and is without effect in civil law, unless, of course, the confirmand pursues the appropriate legal avenues.
In Malta, a person is given a first name, which is used in official documents. This name would be also the name given on Baptism. Custom has it that that one has two godparents, and these choose a name each. These names are generally not officialised, but are recognised by the Church. These are then used as middle names. For example if the parents choose Noel as a first name, and the god parents choose David and Luke, surname being Dimech, the child is therefore named Noel David Luke Dimech. A common choice for godparent names used to be the name of an important person such as an ancestor, great grandparents, etc. However, most of the times these names are not even remembered by their holders and are referred to only if another person has the same first and last name, eg.: Noel D. Dimech.
[edit] East Asian
- Further information: Chinese name, Korean name, Japanese name, and Generation name
Some Chinese have only one syllable in their given name (e.g. Wong Kit); they have no middle position in their full name and thus no middle name. (See also Chinese name, Korean name, Japanese name)
Most Chinese Americans move their Chinese given name (transliterated into the Latin alphabet) to the middle name position, and use an English first name, e.g. James Chu-yu Soong, Jerry Chih-Yuan Yang, and Michelle Wingshan Kwan. The Chinese given name usually has two characters and it is usually combined into "one" middle name for better organizational purposes, especially with Cantonese names, such as Bruce Lee's middle name, Junfan. There are also some new immigrants whose Chinese given names are their first names, and have English middle names.
The practice of taking English and Chinese given names is also common in Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan. However, rather than placing the Chinese given name between the English given name and the family name, it is commonly placed after the family name. Under such a system, Bruce Junfan Lee would have been Bruce Lee Junfan. This practice is consistent with both the Western convention of putting the given name before the family name and the Chinese convention of putting the given name after the family name.
[edit] Germany
Legally, a person has one or several (up to 5) given names and one surname. In the case of multiple given names, the individual (or parents) will choose which name to use on a daily basis, as all of these names are given the same "rank". For example, the German Chancellor Angela Dorothea Merkel could decide to be called Angela Merkel, Dorothea Merkel or Angela Dorothea Merkel. Other naming conventions include the lack of unisex names and the avoidance of surnames used as a given name. An exception to this is the use of Maria for males, as in Rainer Maria Rilke. Initials are not used to abbreviate extra given names. One exception is German TV personality Johannes B. Kerner with the 'B' standing for 'Baptist'.
[edit] Southeast Asian
In Vietnam, the middle names sometimes distinguish between the sexes. Vietnamese middle names are often not used, especially among men.[citation needed] In a 1988 study, 22% of Vietnamese males had no middle name.[citation needed]
In the Philippines, the middle name is used exclusively to refer to the mother's maiden surname, i.e., the one she used prior to her marriage. For example, in the name "Juan Miguel Batumbakal dela Cruz", the name "Batumbakal", his mother's maiden surname, is his middle name. Almost no one uses the term "middle name" to refer to the person's other given names.
In Thailand, middle names are not common. Thai people usually give a child a long first name, which usually has a beautiful meaning. Additionally, most Thai children are also given nick names, which are usually one or two syllables.
[edit] South Asian
Many Indo-Aryan clans have the middle name Lal, a title which can also be found as a surname, though it is more common as a middle-name. A notable example is Amar Lal Kumar. This usage is common in India as well.
Rajputs use Singh or even Kumar as their middle name.
Sikh men, who, for religious reasons are supposed to be named Singh as their surname, sometimes instead take Singh as their middle name. Sikh women, who for similar reasons normally take the surname Kaur, may instead take it as a middle name; a notable example is Parminder Kaur Nagra.
After a South Indian woman marries, she changes her middle name to her husband's first name.
In Tamil Nadu, South India, a baby is given his or her father's first name as a last name. After marriage, a woman will instead have her husband's first name as her last name.
In the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra in India, the middle name is the father's or husband's first name, though some people, such as Sanjay Leela Bhansali, use their mother's name as a middle name.
[edit] East Slavic names
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This section may not provide balanced geographical coverage on Slavic countries. An editor has expressed concern that this section is biased. Please improve this article or discuss the issue on the talk page. |
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There is no middle name in personal names in the cultures associated with the Russian, Belarusian, and Ukrainian languages. Such names consist of three parts: given name, patronymic, and last name. This system was also imposed on people of other descent, both in the Russian Empire (e.g., Adam Johann von Krusenstern is known in Russia as "Ivan Fyodorovich Kruzenshtern") and in the Soviet Union (with certain exceptions). The patronymic in such names is sometimes confused for the middle name, since it is often rendered with the middle initial (e.g., Vladimir V. Putin).
