# Middle names

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/middle-names/36944>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 14, 2000, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/middle-names/36944 "2000-10-14T23:54:15Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Pucette](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/278dde/32.png) [@Pucette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pucette)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2000, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/middle-names/36944/41 "2000-10-18T21:23:40Z")

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Two traditions I know of regarding middle names (I don’t think they’ve been mentioned…)

-Jewish one where you give either a first name or middle name linked to a family member who has passed away

-French one (probably more universal than that) where your middle name is the first or middle name of your mother/father or grandmother/grandfather.

A third one I almost forgot: a lot of Catholics from a few generations back at least had the middle name “Mary.” My uncle, for example, is Georges Marie Bonnet. My mom has Marie as well, along with two different grandmother first names (Claire and Genvieve). I was given just the Claire bit as a middle.

And I think middle names are cool 🙂

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**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2000, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/middle-names/36944/42 "2000-10-18T21:54:23Z")

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Another possible reason for the rise of middle names: There is a tradition among some Catholic communities to give children the names of saints. I think there was a recent thread on it. Sometimes, you wanted to give them a name that wasn’t canonized, so you’d add a saint in the middle.

I was born to a Catholic family in Boston (I’ve since recovered with few ill effects), and they wanted to call me Eric. Since there is no Saint Eric, they gave me the middle name Joseph.

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**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2000, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/middle-names/36944/43 "2000-10-18T21:58:35Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Doug Bowe \*  
> –Or Samuel F. B. Morse.
> 
> I’ve noticed that occasionally in people over 60 their middle name is the Mother’s maiden name.

I am 27 and my middle name is my mothers maiden name 🙂

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**Author:** ![Profane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47774/32.png) [@Profane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Profane)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2000, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/middle-names/36944/44 "2000-10-18T23:25:48Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> _Originally posted by Jeff Olsen \*  
> \*\* There’s a T T W W Bingbang listed in the Denver phone book._\*

Someone named their child Ting Tang Wadda Wadda Bingbang? And I thought my hubby’s almost being named Orbit was bad. Sheesh.

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