How to Choose a Middle Name

How to Choose a Middle Name

Middle Name

The choice of the name of your baby is among the most enjoyable aspects of having a child. However, it is also one of the most important obligations. Here are the essential points you should know when selecting the middle name of your child.

Middle names go back up to the times of Rome but it wasn’t widespread up to the Middle Ages among Europeans. And even at that point, it was only utilized by people of the high-end class. A majority of those first middle names were named inspired by saints. The method became more common in the following years family names were often utilized. (Source) Many cultures do not use middle names. Some cultures use several middle names. Today, middle names in the context of their use in the tradition of the family. Or is used to pay tribute to an individual person(s) within families. Or selected to express enjoyment or the “flow” of the whole name. If you’re not sure of your middle name. Take some time to look over the options in the list below.

The Law Regarding Middle Names

There is no law in the US nor the UK that has laws of any kind regarding the name you choose for your baby. Having a middle name isn’t legally obligatory in either.

In the UK even though there are no laws names are not able to be refused by the registry. It’s not often that this happens and typically happens to name that is offensive or overly long. Or include figures or characters. In the US certain states. There are specific rules regarding names that you have to comply with. And others have no rules whatsoever. When state rules are in place the rules are compatible with reasons names are rejected within the UK. The most commonly used rule is to limit the number of characters that you are allowed to include.

Ways of Choosing a Middle Name

There are several ways to go about selecting middle names.

Choose a Name you Like

If you have multiple names that you like, you could include your other choice as an alternative middle name. This could also be useful in the case of couples who need to reach an agreement. Needs to be found out in the event of a disagreement over the name of the first.

Choose a Name That Sounds Good

Instead of choosing your favorite option, you could choose the name that you like and it will also work well with your first and last names. There are many methods to accomplish this and if you’d like to experiment, take some look at this article on making an appealing name that is easy to flow with.

Choosing a Name to Honour Someone Special

A middle name is an excellent method to pay tribute to those who are special to you. Most often, it is an individual from your family, but it could be a close friend. A family name could also provide your child with identity and also a connection to their family history. If there’s no one you would like to honor or the names you choose don’t work it is possible to do some research into your family’s history to find out if any attractive names were used by your relatives.

Using a Piece to Select a Middle Name

There are many ways to make use of a theme when choosing the middle name. If the first name you choose is based on a theme, then you can choose middle names with a similar theme. You could also pick names with themes that you value Here are some ideas for themes

A celebrity you admire, possibly an actor, sportsman, or activist The name Greta became popular because of Greta Thunberg.

  • A name that is floral such as Holly, Rose, or Azalea.
  • A name that is inspired by nature, such as Ocean or Autumn, Skye
  • A color code that is similar to Blue, Ruby, or Violet
  • A name that has its roots from a place that’s important to you
  • A biblical name similar to Noah
  • A Disney name that is similar to Mirabel
  • A name that comes from the literature, such as Atticus as well Matilda
  • A musical name such as “Cadence, Aria or Melody
  • The name of a city such as Paris, Adelaide, or Brooklyn.

Be Aware of the Initials

After you’ve identified the middle names you like, ensure you record the first name and make sure whether it’s spelling anything that isn’t appropriate. It is also a good idea to look up online for the initials of the final selection to ensure that they don’t have a slang term for something you’d prefer your child not to be associated with.

How Many Middle Names Should you Give?

In the US there isn’t a limit to the number of middle name characters, however, there is a limit on characters in certain states.

In the UK There is no limit on how many middle names you may use. However, there are limitations on the character of certain forms of identification. Such as passports which can make having names with multiple middle names difficult.

It is true that having more than 2 middle names could be a burden for children. They’ll likely end up using their least preferred as they grow older. I’d suggest only that you give more than one when it’s necessary to honor someone and cause offense could be triggered when they weren’t.

Should I Select a Standard or Remarkable Middle Name?

This question to me depends on what the initial name is. My suggestion is to pick the opposite of the name you chose for your first. In the event that you’ve chosen a popular first name, I’d pick a middle name that is unusual or, if you’ve chosen an unusual name for your first I would suggest an ordinary middle name. This is because of two reasons that it makes it less likely for your child to come across another person with the same name and it also gives them a choice for the future.

Written by
Rex Baker