Using middle names instead of first names?

Mrs.Kent · October 2008

I was always curious why people did this. My dad's name is Joseph Michael, but from the time he was born, he was always called Michael. I don't mean to offend anyone, I'm just curious why not give the name you intend to use as the first name and then the first name as the middle name?

thenewmrsrussell · October 2008

My step dad goes by his middle name. He has the same first name as his father and so instead of being a jr. he just has always gone by his middle name.

kcap01 · October 2008

I am not sure. Maybe some parents want to honor someone by naming them after someone in the family, but don't want to confuse everyone with having two in the family by that name?? THat's all I can think of. My grandma was B.Louise. I am not even sure what the B stood for....funny...

Annie_1208 · October 2008

Ok...I'll spill. My legal name is Brittany Anne, but I go by Anne now as an adult. I wasn't called Anne as a child, but I transitioned to Anne eventually.

I guess people might not like the first name as much and the middle fits better. My business lawyer goes by his middle name too - he prefers it to his first name. Personal preference I guess.

*tessa* · October 2008

I have wondered this as well...My dad's name is John James but he has been called Mike since he was born...random...

Leenie_89 · October 2008

I get it if they're a jr, otherwise, not sure.

RosyW · October 2008

I also think it's they are naming the person after someone to honor them. So they use that as a first name but yeah go by the middle name to avoid confusion.

mmcrocker · October 2008

My DH's middle name is Marcus and he goes by Mark. Go figure! I really have no clue why!

RosyW · October 2008

Also, I think even with my own children, I'm going to give them more contemporary / top names as first names but give them a traditional middle name. If in the future, my child wants to go by their middle name instead, I'm ok with that.

Chrisy-Wyobride · October 2008

Personal preference I guess. Stick out tongue

We actually used nicknames of middle names for both my kids so far. For DD#1, it's a long complicated story but bottom line, I didn't want DD "stuck" with Wilhelmina since it's a really old-fashioned, uncommon name & is after a family member. I gave her a "normal" first name (also a family name) she could use at any time and a family middle name w/ a nickname I chose. I like unusual, old fashioned names, but I don't know if my kid will in the long run.

DD#2, We just didn't like Therese as a first name (it's also a family name), it sounds better as a middle name. So that's where it ended up, as a middle name. I always liked Tess as a name but more as a nickname not as a full name.

My DH grew up as Lyn (& still goes by it) even though it's not his first name nor even his middle name--he's soooo not scarred for life about it. And I grew up as Tina & soon as I went to college I stopped that & have been called Christina ever since...I am SO glad I wasn't named "Tina" on my birth certificate, I don't like that name for myself as an adult & professional. So my personal preference is for my child to have a unique nickname but a common, religious, classic first name that they could choose to go by later in life.

mollymurphy · October 2008

Ellison Kate is our front-runner girl name, but if we ultimately go with it, I'd prefer to use 'Kate'. The reasons why we'd use Kate as a MN...hrmph: two.

Ellison is my husband's middle name: I like it, he likes it, we like the idea of using a family name (my maiden name is too cumbersome to be a MN). Here's the problem with using it as a girl's first name for us: my husband was ALWAYS having to correct people who called him "FirstName Allison Ourlastname". And yes, he was teased for having a girl's middle name. I like the name Allison, but Ell-ison and All-ison are not the same: I don't want her to forever be correcting people. (My one syllable not-totally uncommon first name is mispronounced all. The. Time. I gave up correcting people about 15 years ago.)

Second, I have a somewhat unisex first name and I've liked that aspect of my name professionally. Not sure that it's directly benefited me in any way, but I somewhat like the idea that if someday she felt that Kate was too feminine, she would have the option of using her given first name professionally. Or not.

?So, for us, with this particular name, it's really the mispronunciation issue with a family name we love, as well as liking the idea that she would have a more unisex given name to use if that's what she'd prefer.

Mrs.Kent · October 2008

Thanks for filling me in ladies

smismar · October 2008

My name is Toni Grace and when I hit about 12-13 y/o, I HATED the name Toni for various reasons and tried to go by Grace. It never stuck, though (sometimes I wish it had). Still, at the time I switched, I met some new friends that still know me primarily as Grace. even though 99.9% of the world knows me as Toni.

I can't figure out why parents choose to call their child primarily by a middle name, though (other than a nickname - my fam sometimes calls me Gracie as a term of endearment and I call my sister Jo or Joey).

alli&pat · October 2008

my hubby goes by his MN and it drives him nuts. his first name is the same as his father's but they have a different middle so dh is not a jr. they named him this knowing they would call him his MN...i dont know why they just didn't switch the names around..it certianly would still honor his dad! dh hates having to always correct people and hates when people call him by his first name.

TheBrowns · October 2008

My DH goes by his middle name. His name is Andrew Jacob and they have always called him Jake. His parents said they liked the sound of Andrew Jacob better than Jacob Andrew, but wanted him to be called Jake. Their reasoning actually kind of bothers me.

pokeyswife · October 2008

We named DD Aisling Eve. Nobody even remotely pronounces her first name right even after you correct them so we decided to call her Eve in public. We call her both names at home and figure she can figure out what she wants to be called when she gets older. Here name translates to "Vision of life" In that order so we wanted to have that be her name.

Mrs_Est11.11.06 · October 2008

DH's first name is really George and he hates it so he's always went by his middle name.

My First name is Elizabeth, always called Beth...went i started school i was yelled at by my kindergarden teacher for not answering the roll when she called my name.

I went home upset b.c i thought the teacher gave me a new name... I ask my folks all the time why didnt you just name me Beth.

VintageSpirit · October 2008

Long story...

Daniel Cody is named after DH's great-grandfather and my deceased brother. Before DH and I even married, we knew our first son would carry the name Cody as a middle name. (My sister and I had previously agreed to both use Cody as a middle name for our first sons as a way to honor our brother.) DH's first son is named James William after DH's father and grandfather. DH wanted to continue using family names. DS was originally going to be Jackson Cody and go by Jackson/Jax, but then DH decided he wanted the boys to carry as a first name family names that were also biblical. Thus, we were left with Daniel, David, and Joseph. I was not particularly thrilled with either as a first name for the baby to go by. I have a personal bias against Danny and Joey, so that left David. Once he was born, he was such a Cody that I knew that is what he would go by. I finally agreed to Daniel as a first name when the hospital registrar brought in the birth certificate paperwork. I was so ready to get out of the hospital I would have agreed to ANYTHING!!!

BTW-If this one is a boy his first name will be David, but he will also go by his middle name...and I'm not telling that one!

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