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Baby Names
Opinions on calling child by middle name
We are having a boy and want to name him Stephen Landon but actually call him Landon. Stephen is after my brother- he passed away a few years ago. I really want to name the baby Stephen but don't want to call him that. I also don't want to use Stephen as the middle name.
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Re: Opinions on calling child by middle name
My personal opinion is why name your child something you're not going to call him or her? I never understand when parents do that. Why wouldn't you just use the name you don't want to call him for a middle name? It still honors your brother....
I understand how some names just evolve into nicknames but I never get why people would name their child something and then address them their whole life as something completely different? I know this happens a lot with "juniors" etc.... but I don't like it. That's just me though
Landon Stephen. Just my two cents.
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I wouldn't do that either. Middle names are just as important - esp for boys since when they get married they don't drop it like most women. DS's mn is after my father and he couldn't be happier about it - he calls him "little David" sometimes : )
I like Landon Stephen too! (I'm really sorry about your brother...this is such a nice, meaningful thing to do for him)
Ditto others. We considered doing it just because DH thought the name sounded better one way vs. the other, but now I've got him convinced that we should just give him the first name that we plan to call him.
The only reason I would do otherwise is if you were naming him after someone else but planned to call him the middle name (that's done a lot in my family).
ditto, ditto, ditto. ?I think it's ridiculously confusing to call a kid by their middle name. ?I have one friend whose parents did this and he is seriously annoyed by having so much confusion around his name.
(read it. you know you want to.)
anderson . september 2008
vivian . february 2010
mabel . august 2012
My grandparents did this and to this day my aunt goes by two names. The family calls her by her mn, while others use her first name. It's very odd and confusing. It's one thing to name a kid William and call him Bill, it's very different to name him William and call him John.
Just name him Landon Stephen.
DD february 2010 | DS october 2011
*please excuse my typos, bumping from my iphone*
Sorry...don't like that trend either. It gets too confusing! I am a teacher and every now and then we encounter this- then we either end up putting the wrong name on everything since the registered name would be Stephen...or if the grade before articulates to us using the name Landon, we wonder "who is Stephen Smith?" when we get official papers, etc. Just my 2 cents too.
FWIW- Landon Stephen sounds just fine and it's just as powerful at honoring your late brother in my opinion.
BUT- a nn is usually some form of the actual fn...easier to tie back to the right person!
I actually think it's cute to use the middle name as the primary sometimes. I know my cousin did what you're suggesting because he named his son after his father, who'd died about 6 months previously, and then called him by the middle name.
I'm also tempted to do something along those lines to appease my husband if we have a boy. DH wants a junior, but I'm adamantly against them. I first suggested using his name as the middle, but if he insists on the first then I'll pick the middle name and our son will be called by that name to differentiate in the house.
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For some reason people get up in arms about going by your middle name on this board. I've never really understood why... I mean, it's not rocket science. It's not that hard to figure out. I can think of six people off the top of my head who go by their middle names, and it's just not an issue.
Do whatever you're comfortable with.
Your first name is your name...it's what you're called. Why do people insist on calling their kids by their middle names? It's ridiculous to me. If you wnt to call your kid something, make that his first name.
My parents wanted to name me Katie, but thought I should have a longer name, so they named me Katherine but they call me Katie. There are like 50 ways to spell Katherine these days, so I'm always having to spell that for people, as well as remind them that I go by Katie. Plus, my last name is just a nightmare and no one has ever pronounced it correctly on the first try. This is silly now that I'm older, but I was embarrassed every year at school to have to correct the teacher. And it's a pain now that I'm older too.
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ditto
Hi, my husband goes by his middle name Scott. He was named after his grandfather so his parents picked a middle name to go by as well. It has been no big deal. We're also going to name our son (if it is a boy) after my hubby's father but call him by his middle name. You can do whatever you like and know that people will call him what you introduce him as.
Just so you know, every single year in school the teacher will say Stephen until she is corrected by your son.
I wanted to use Elizabeth as a first name but my husband just wasn't sold, so we are using it as a middle name (to honor my mom's sister who passed away).
Go with Landon Stephen.
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Your first name is your name...it's what you're called. Why do people insist on calling their kids by their middle names? It's ridiculous to me. If you wnt to call your kid something, make that his first name.
Thank you!
It just irks me personally because I work in a hospital and patients who go by their middle names are still listed by their legal name on hospital records. So people get extremely rude looking for a person who they know as Christie, but her real name is Evelyn.
I can imagine this would happen in schools as well. It could get annoying. What is so wrong with using Stephen as the middle name? Essentially, that is what Stephen will be if you are using Landon as his first name....
I've known a few people to go by their middle names, but mostly it was because they liked their middle name better, or because they were a junior and didn't want to use their father's name.
I don't see a big deal with it, but I do think it should be their choice. As long as they are pretty easygoing about stating their preference and are essentially okay with being called their first name in some situations, there's not a huge problem. Friends, teachers, and people who will see interact on a regular basis can easily get used to it. But telling the ER nurse, the bank teller, or the insurance agent, whose interaction is limited and relies on paperwork...?
I would use your absolute favorite name as a first name, and find something that compliments that.
it's your child, name them how you want. My sister goes by her MN only b/c she got tired of her FN when she got to college.
To each his own and sometimes it's about the flow of the name w/your LN.
But would Landon Stephen not work?
I totally disagree, but then we may do the same thing. Why wouldn't you use the name you want to call him as the middle name? Because you are the parent and you get to decide. Why do we usually call people by their firstname and forget all about the middle name?
In my family it is really common to call males by their middle name. My dad went by his middle name. My grandfather, uncle, cousin, and now my cousin's son, all go by their middle name. They all have a family name as their first name. It's kind of a tradition and an honor. None of them have ever had problems with being called by their middle name. Most people don't even know that they go by their middle name, not their first. Really it's never an issue.
Again, you are the parent and you get to decide.
:This:
My friend named her DS Austin Slade but has called him "baby slade" since he was born, he is now 3 1/2 and she still calls him that. i dont know why she named hime austin if she didnt want to call me that...
oh well... do want you want lol
I think it's great you want to honor your brother, but I think it's silly people purposely name their children knowing they will be calling them by their middle name.
Landon Stephen sounds (flows) much better anyway!
Jack is a nickname for Jonathan... not many people do it anymore, but a lot of people don't know that... I don't think it is any different. I would think when registering for school, one would list both first and middle name so it wouldn't be an issue of knowing who it is.