Forget middle child syndrome, in the world of names a middle moniker can actually reign supreme!
Sure, they’re often relegated to initials on forms, hidden on driver’s licences or only revealed at graduations, but the presence of one could just help your child in the future.
A study published in the European Journal of Social Psychology by experts at the Universities of Southampton and Limerick looked at perceptions people form about others when middle initials are present or not.
They found that people think an author is more intelligent if they have a middle initial – and smarter still if there are two!
The world of literature seems to agree with several successful authors using initials – think J.K. Rowling (Joanne Rowling), J.R.R. Tolkein (John Ronald Reuel Tolkein), T.S. Eliot (Thomas Stearns Eliot), J.D Salinger (Jerome David Salinger), A.A. Milne (Alan Alexander Milne), H.G. Wells (Herbert George Wells), C.S. Lewis (Clive Staples Lewis) and P.D. James (Phyllis Dorothy James) whose names just wouldn’t be the same without the extra initials.
Common names also benefit from an initial to make them more distinct. Michael J Fox wouldn’t have been as memorable as Michael Fox, even if his J was a made up initial!
Likewise for Samuel L. Jackson and James C. Stewart – whose middle name was actually Maitland.
So if you are giving your child a popular name that could be shared by others at school, high school or in the workplace, making them John D Smith or Jane D Smith may be incredibly helpful for them, their teachers or the HR Department! It may also help them have a more memorable resume when applying for jobs.
But middle names aren’t just about careers. Mother’s maiden names can be given as middle names to keep the family history alive. Some examples include Courtney Bass Cox, Matt Paige Damon and Richard Tiffany Gere.
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Middle names can also be used to honour late relatives and friends. This one is close to home for me as my nephew’s middle name is Daniel after my late brother. Other examples include Ben Affleck whose full name is Benjamin Géza Affleck-Boldt, with Géza the name of his mother’s late friend. Actress Kate Hudson has the middle name Garry after her late uncle who passed away just before she was born.
And some families use the same middle name for their children. Certainly, actor William H Macy used Grace as a middle name for both his daughters – Sophia Grace and Georgia Grace. W
While singer Ciara has used her own distinctive middle name Princess for her two daughters who are Sienna Princess and Amora Princess.
Being known by two first names in full can also make someone more memorable – we’re thinking Sarah Jessica Parker, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Tommy Lee Jones and Billy Bob Thornton who just wouldn’t have the same ring as Sarah Parker, Sarah Gellar, Tommy Jones and Billy Thornton.
Middle names can often be where parents get more creative, giving names that are more unusual or that hold significant meaning. Here are some stand out examples we’ve found:
- Actor Bradley Cooper’s daughter is called Lea De Seine – De Seine after the river in Paris.
- Actor Jeremy Renner’s daughter is Ava Berlin.
- Singer Katy Perry named the daughter she shares with Orlando Bloom, Daisy Dove.
- Actress and model Zooey Deschanel has two children – Elise Otter and Charlie Wolf.
- Singer Ed Sheeran’s eldest daughter is Lyra Antarctica.
And then there’s actor Kiefer Sutherland… or rather Kiefer William Frederick Dempsey George Rufus Sutherland to be precise! Reports say he was named Kiefer after Warren Kiefer who wrote his father Donald Sutherland’s first TV role, Frederick is his father’s real first name, Dempsey is his mother’s maiden name and George after his father’s best friend George Metcalfe. The inspiration for Rufus and William has not been shared, but they make up what we believe is a middle name record!
Middle Name Pride Day
American onomatologist Jerry Hill established Celebrate Your Name Week in 1997, which falls every year on the first full week in March.
The Friday of that week is National Middle Name Pride Day, designed to celebrate middle names! Who Knew?!
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Middle names or initials can also become a family tradition to share across generations. American football player JJ Watt comes from a family of middle Js. He is Justin James, and his brothers are Trent Jordan known as “TJ” and Derek John. And it’s a tradition he has now passed on to his own son, Koa James.
Perhaps our favourite use of middle names is to add melody – something Uma Karuna Thurman’s parents likely agree with! Our best celebrity example of melodic middle names is actor Bruce Willis’ children who are: Rumer Glenn, Scout LaRue, Tallulah Belle, Mabel Ray and Evelyn Penn. We also love Rosie O’Donnell’s kids’ names: Parker Jaren, Chelsea Blake, Blake Christopher and Vivienne Rose.
Middle names also give options, if someone’s first name isn’t their favourite. It doesn’t feel too much of a leap to be known as your second given name, compared to picking something entirely new. Some celebrity examples of this include:
- Brad Pitt – William Bradley
- Ashton Kutcher – Christopher Ashton
- Rihanna – Robin Rihanna
- Kelsey Grammer – Allen Kelsey
- Stephen Curry – Wardell Stephen Curry II
- Reese Witherspoon – Laura Jeanne Reese
- Jude Law – David Jude Heyworth
- Robert Redford – Charles Robert Redford
- Warren Beatty – Henry Warren Beatty
- Steve McQueen – Terrence Stephen McQueen
And actually, several American presidents have done this too: Dwight D. Eisenhower was born David Dwight, Calvin Coolidge was John Calvin, Woodrow Wilson was Thomas Woodrow and Ulysses S. Grant was Hiram Ulyssess – and the S in his name was actually a clerical error that stuck!
The history of middle names
In Ancient Rome, emperors flaunted their lineage with multiple names, a precursor to the aristocratic trend of long names in Europe.
In medieval Europe, middle names where used to bridge the gap between religion and family.
In 19th century America middle names became commonplace, often holding family history like mothers’ maiden names or treasured family names.
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Of course, many presidents have used their middle intitials to add weight to their name, or to separate father and son in the case of the Bush family! These include George W. Bush, John F. Kennedy, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman, who actually made his S up!
Perhaps the most obvious fans of middle names are the British Royal Family, who routinely give each child at least three names, sometimes four.
The current King is Charles Philip Arthur George, his heir is William Arthur Philip Louis and his children George Alexander Louis, Charlotte Elizabeth Diana and Louis Arthur Charles.
Of course, many online and printed forms only have room for one middle name, so the rest go by the wayside, whether or not you’re Royal!
As someone who has two middle names myself, while I have not used them extensively and the second one often gets missed off, I have to admit I like that they are there!
But perhaps the most important reason for middle names, is the options they give parents when a kid is in trouble. That’s typically when full names come out in our household, and I have to say I wouldn’t be without them!
