Comments on: How many middle names is too many?

By: eliza

eliza — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 05:07:45 +0000

Dammit, Michigan. My BFF also just found this out when she got married and wanted to keep her maiden name as a second middle name.

By: eliza

eliza — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:05:09 +0000

I'm already a terrible parent because if this little nugget is a girl, her initials (without middle names, which we haven't fully decided on yet) will be FOK. And I totally don't care, because I've been holding onto the F for years before my husband came along with his K and insisted it be included, and I have no other girl names I like! Hopefully the middle names we pick out (one for his family and one for mine) will help…
On the other hand, if it's a boy, his initials (without middle names) will be AOK. Haha. A-OK, indeed.
I dunno. In school, I don't remember anybody paying attention to initials. There were so many other ridiculous things to get bullied for.

By: tish

tish — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 21:08:34 +0000

Wow Jasper has a LOT of names.. and they are long as well..but kudos to his parents.

My godson's name is Kaleb Jarius Jameson P. I like multiple middle names.

By: fenna

fenna — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 02:37:43 +0000

Just the other day, I read Picasso's full name. It is VERY long. I have one middle name, by brother has two, and my mom and maternal aunt and uncle have none. I've never felt attached to any sort of tradition with middle names, since my family is all over the map with that one. I love that your son's name is so long. It's very cool.

By: @cyliecarrot

@cyliecarrot — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 06:30:10 +0000

I dont have a middle name, and neither do my 2 sisters (only boys in my family got them, and it was always the 'family' name), but the other half and his 2 sisters all have middle names. we are both determined to follow our family traditions, its gonna be fun when we actually have a kid (just trying at the mo!)
i never missed having a middle name, in fact i loved it! all of my friends had them, so it was nice to be different, i got a fairly awkward first name (spelt wrong according to most!). plus it means that i only had two levels of trouble! first name and first name-last name, no middle name to add an extra layer of – o crap, better run!!!!

By: Turk

Turk — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:28:09 +0000

I hear ya there!!!! I have my name, a middle name I share with my Mum, a name I got to choose myself when going from childhood to teens, and a double-barrel surname that I CHOSE to use when I was 7 so as to honour not just my fathers family, but also my mothers.

Proud to be S.M.C.B.-C.

Hell yeah!

By: Mia

Mia — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 23:03:16 +0000

I'm a "Mia" with a long Italian middle name too! It gets compliments all the time.

By: Johana-Marie

Johana-Marie — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 01:02:27 +0000

Not a mama but definitely a child that appreciated all of her names. I sometimes write my hyphenated name as two names and gave myself a Hausa name "Kasham" when I was 15 or so–I grew up in a primarily Nigerian church and felt very left out that all the kids had both English and traditional names– and plan on taking my mother's middle name and my husband's name, all for a grand total of 7 names. I know it's a lot but names were and are extremely important in my family both for their own meaning and for passing down family member names (my father is a "III").

There was nothing like being able to say my whole name when someone asked for it and I definitely plan on giving my kids that.

By: Dixie

Dixie — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:09:07 +0000

While I wouldn't go so far as to say I'd let "standardized forms . . . determine what's normal" . . . well, they pretty much do. Or at least, what is practical.

I only have three names–first, middle, last–but my first and middle names are unusual (real names, not invented ones, but obscure. Obscure enough that one doesn't even have a standard spelling) and their pronunciation is not immediately obvious. I'll tell you right now there are lots of days I wish my parents had just named me "Ruth" after my grandmother. I appreciate the ideals and the creativity they used in naming me, but I've spent the last 32 years trying to teach people how to spell, pronounce, and interpret my name[s], and I'm getting pretty tired of it. I even fantasize about changing my names, but I don't want to hurt my parents' feelings.

If I ever have kids, I wouldn't give them more than two middle names [four names total], and I wouldn't make all of their names unusual and/or complicated. I wish I had a simple name to fall back on since mine don't shorten into anything I like as a nickname. ("Dixie" is a screen name. Much simpler than my real ones.)

By: Kris

Kris — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:00:34 +0000

I think it all comes down to what does it mean for the child? Are you setting them up to be picked on because they're so different? Will he come home crying because they're being teased relentlessly and the parent will just giggle at the child's deeply painful stories because they are 'so sure' they did the right and cool thing and are too busy patting themselves on the back?
It bugs me when parents have that disconnect (if the bitterness comes through it's because I had a friend with one).
As pointed out in the posts above mine, why you are giving the names is important, and I definitely say that is more important than the number. Names are the first gift a child is given by their parents, the first statement of how they love them that goes with the child through life. Names should be about showing your love for the child, however it is expressed, and not about the parents showing off.