The other day I had a little bit of a parent moment with my eight year old son Jude… and my partner Dave was having a really good giggle the following morning at how I had shouted at him at the time…
"JUDE HENRY COME HERE THIS INSTANT!"
I declared...
The point of laughter came from the usage of the middle name…
and so the conversation began…
WHAT PURPOSE DOES YOUR MIDDLE NAME SERVE?
......
Most commonly, the reason for giving your child a middle name, would be to continue the legacy of and/or honour some other family member, godparent or the like… and this is still true… although I have noticed that many modern day parents choose not to give their kids a middle name… (Probably the reason for the general lack of respect in youngsters these days… as there is no clout in the parents reprimand… hahahaha) But let’s be honest, for the most part – most of us don’t even know this random individual that has been given a pivotal role in our life story lol!
So what is the REAL purpose of your middle name
......
I think the middle name and surname
are there for the usage of discipline… haha!
My name is Jayne –
but throughout my growing up years, I was only ever called Jayne by my mom when she was pissed at me… haha! And if she was VERY pissed at me, I was Jayne Lea and then finally, if I was pretty much about to die, the surname would be added too! – Every other time, I was Jaynie, love, darling etc. True Story!!!
My partner Dave has two middle names…
his mom MUST have known he was going to be a naughty little shite!
Haha!!!
I think this theory rings true across the globe…
and will forever be an informal truth... lol!
Until next time...
Much Love from Cape Town, South Africa xxx
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So my first name is my dads middle name and my grandfathers first name. It is also the middle name of my oldest son. My middle name is my other grandfathers first name and it is my youngest sons middle name. My daughters middle name is the first name of my grandmother.
Catch all that? LOL
BTW: How is the situation in South Africa?
I think it's a mix of instilling legacy and discipline. We all known parents mean business when they whip out the middle name.
lol true story!!!!
Wow its really lovely photography. ..but i dnt have middle nam lol @jaynie
Lol... My middle name is Ayomiposi.. Short for Posi .... For some weird reasons .... Yoruba girls like it. So that's what I start with when introducing myself.
Now that's a nice discussion about name.When its about naming some one people looks after two things one is is the name beautiful and another is what is the meaning of the name.Thank's for the post.
Wow funny picture
mine is Babatunde...i remind my family of my grandfather through my face and gait
Hmm.... I always thought the middle name was another sort of you know name you can go by. For me, I never thought my middle name had any linking to anyone. But I guess I'll do some searching. I got two of them.
I don't have middlename :-( and considering that my first and last names are firstnames, well, i don't know if that's better or worse hhaha
My middle name is Derrick. But in my years of wreaking havoc for my mother she never as I can recall didn't use it to call me. It was always Tony.
It's an odd thing but the only user of my middle name was my ex-wife. So yes, when she called me Anthony Derrick, I knew I was in trouble.
@jaynie you pretty much spot on! Yes here in the UK it is exactly the same.The whole name including the middle......oh noooo your in trouble big time.My kids have a few middle names so I am forever using them.Not Good.lol I dont know if you find this but people i went to school with call me my full name.I think at school the class register would be taken using the full name.It is very embarrasing when out and you bump into school friends. Just call me Pam.lol.Thanks for sharing can so relate👍🏼
Lol, that and 10 other random questions about things we do everyday and don't think about. When you know someones middle name, you own them, hehe. Like the true name of an elf. Once you know it...
I got two middle names. Here, in Nigeria, sometimes it is not linked to any person in particular. Most times, it is given out of struggle to be the one to give the name for the child. Haha. The father give a name, the mother too, then some extended members. So, out of respect so they won't feel the name they picked was ignored, they add those names but the name the parent choose, sticks. I have seen someone with 9 names. I wonder what they do with them hahaha.
@originalworks
Seems like it is sleeping?
Ha, it's sooo true, I whip out that middle name for shock value when it's needed :-)
However, you've got to be careful when using a double middle name as you are getting into four letter territory.
Simon
Henry
Isaac
Thompson
I dropped my middle name when I changed my first and last name.
I can definitely relate to the middle name calling when my kids were misbehaving, though! Or calling any of my kids by another kids name in my frustration... Ahhh... names!
In prior generations (at least on my maternal grandfather's side...the only one I really know), the middle names were named after someone in the line, and seemed to be something that they did before coming to America from England just before 1900. For example, my grandfather's middle name was his father's first name; his father's middle name was either his dad's or grandfather's first name.
They seemed to break that naming trend starting with my grandfather's kids...
For our kids, we chose names based on meanings.
Eldest daughter's middle name is Nathene, which is a feminine form of Nathaniel, which means "God has given".
Eldest son is Isaac, which means "he laughs"
Youngest son is Aaron, which means "strength"
Middle daughter is Adele, which means "noble"
And baby's is Joy...that one's hopefully more obvious.
My most recent post:
Go Rogue…Change of Plans!!
In Nigeria, most cultures bear the same name. It is very common to come across someone who has same first and last name with you hence the need for middle name. It is impossible to have two people with same three names . The middle name is just a means of distinguishing names when such situations arises
I stopped using mine when I found out it was only a repetition of my surname. I was named after my father.
You have a cute son, Jude Henry Dave is a handsome young man
Ok, I gotta be honest, @jaynie, throughout our previous conversations, I never expected you to be a mom, and to a 8-year old! Ok, I'm trying not to hint on the youthful looks, but that was the first thought that came to mind and stuck, really.
I'm Chinese, and I don't we kinda practice middle names, but for some families, for each generation, there's a middle word that is shared among all. So in my case, "Chia", which meant home, is shared with all my siblings and cousins. Hmph, interesting only the guys, when in fact, it's the girls who take care of the home. Ironic, eh?
Have a nice weekend!
Thanks for the class. Same time tomorrow?
I was smiling reading your post. I've never really taken time to think about this and I think you are pretty right and funny about the role our second names play. Me being a mom myself I have to admit that even my son knows that if I call him with both his name and surname added then there's big trouble!
Wow! I really don't know the essence or importance of middle before but I must say a big thank you for this. Knowledge is power. Thanks @jaynie
LOL! Yep, the power of the middle name. I've been "mad" at my parents for years because all four of us girls have the same one - Anne. Funny thing is, my eldest sis is from dad's first marriage, and next eldest sis is from mom's. Then they turned around and used it for me and my younger sis - talk about lazy... ROTFLMAO!
My middle name doesn't have much significance. As Nicole, it was one of the most popular middle names of the 80's. But yes, that middle name was added to my first when I was in trouble! :D
My older son's middle name (James) comes from his father, and my younger son's (Thomas) is after my older son's favorite TV show at the time (Thomas and Friends). Since he was only 3 at the time, it was his contribution to naming his little brother (and it was much better than "Baby Boy" - which he insisted on for about 3 months of my pregnancy!)