Importance of Middle Name

MelissaM090

This is sort of just me putting thoughts down on here and looking for some general feedback about middle names.

Only since I've been lurking (mostly) on here for the past few weeks have I seen how important middle names can be to people naming their babies. I've always had a fascination with names and thinking of names I like for my future kids, but middle names have never been a major consideration for me. I'm a traditional Catholic, mid-80's 'Melissa Anne' and I have to say, my middle name has had 0% impact on my life. I've never really thought about it one way or the other and I don't really feel like its part of my identity. When its my turn to name a child I can probably see myself choosing a middle name that honours a family member, but can't see myself going crazy with the flow and the sound and other characteristics because I don't know how much one would honestly USE it after the baby is a newborn.

So maybe my question is for existing moms - how important is your child's middle name in the context of your day-to-day life? Is it more or less significant than you thought it would be?

mylilwildflower

Much less significant than I thought it would be. 

CaboBride2015

My LO is probably still too little to say how significant it is... but I do call her by her fn mn daily. And my dad doesn't like the flow and has taken to calling her a variation of her name that he thinks sounds better, which pisses me off. Her middle name is in honor of my maternal grandmother.

SisterMaryNapalm

For me, it's a link to my heritage and family. It's important to me and as a teenager and adult it helped me feel connected to my family and ancestry. I was raised to value these, though so whether it's as important depending on who you honour and how connected they are is probably very individual even from family member to family member

lm45678

I like to use the mn spot to honor someone. I'm going to be a FTM but the names we've picked out are

Savannah Jane (mn after my mom)
William Clayton (fn after my dad, mn is my moms maiden name)

Clayton was also my mn until I got married and now my maiden name is my middle name-- I love the idea of using Clayton again since I got "rid of it".

If we have two girls we would use the mn Elizabeth which is the street our first house is on.

ollie&lulu

Our kids' middle names have meaning- DS's middle name is my husband's first name, and DD's middle name is Adele after my grandfather whose name is Del. I call them by both names sometimes and sometimes put both names on party invites, monogrammed items etc

MamaWren919

This is why I like mns with significance. My husband and I both have family names as mns, and I've always felt more connected to my mn because of that. Our son's mn is DH's grandfather's name. We sometimes call him "Graham Thomas." I don't know if that's a newborn thing or something we'll continue, but I'm glad we used a mn with meaning and didn't just pick another random name we like.

mthoomom

My teenage son started going by his middle name in 6th grade. Some people decide that their first name doesn't fit them, sounds juvenile, or identify more with their middle name (my son's case) so they will use it instead. I don't think this is super common, but it does happen. I'm due with my third LO in March, and you can bet that I will chose his middle name carefully! 

penelope4612

I think it also depends upon how common the first and last name are.  My DH has a pretty common first and last name and the middle name helps distinguish him from the rest of the people who have the same name, so sometimes he goes by his full name.

FluffleSprout

We chose the middle name first and it was really important. DD's MN is Eleanor after the grandmother who raised my H. Next baby's middle name will be after my mom; her name for a girl or her maiden name for a boy. For me it's an important link in my family and a tie to a person we love. I was named for two relatives and while I had the MN Marie like half the girls I knew, I also knew it was for my great aunt Marie. That said, it's just personal preference. Choosing a name you love or that sounds pretty for no other reason is just as valid. I imagine that a baby names board will care more than the general population.

yellowbean15

I like middle names to have meaning so I don't think that flow or style is a big issue. My son is only a few months old but it's already less significant than I thought it would be. My mom uses his first and middle sometimes and that's it. If we have a daughter her middle name will be a name I don't like but it commemorates a person who was very important in DH'S family so it doesn't bother me. It's not used much after the birth announcement.

queenbone

My children have MNs that honor family and so far the ones that are old enough to understand the connection, like it. I use their full names on occasion, and it does come up periodically at school as well. So they have an interesting story to tell about what their MN means.