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.
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