{"id":56259,"date":"2020-02-24T08:00:33","date_gmt":"2020-02-24T00:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.voicetube.com\/blog\/?p=56259"},"modified":"2020-06-23T15:27:02","modified_gmt":"2020-06-23T07:27:02","slug":"whats-up-with-middle-names","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.voicetube.com\/blog\/archives\/56259","title":{"rendered":"What’s Up With Middle Names?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wondering why people have middle names?<\/p>\n

You’ve come to the right place!<\/p>\n

The history and meaning behind middle names<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

Why a Middle Name?\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

Why do westerners have middle names? I frequently receive this question in Taiwan. After all, middle names are absent in Chinese culture. Baffled and unsure of the answer, I could only ever respond with an <\/span>unremarkable<\/span>(1) \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Upon first thought, maybe it\u2019s just a way for parents to <\/span>scold<\/span>(2) children more effectively. I certainly heard \u201cSTEPHEN MICHAEL\u201d enough as a kid when I did something wrong, but that \u201cMichael\u201d never seemed to serve any other purpose.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Digging a bit deeper, there are actually many historical reasons for having middle names. The story of middle names begins in ancient Rome and continues on throughout much of Europe until it finally ends up being ingrained in American culture during the 20th century.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

All Hail Gaius Julius Caesar\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

Roman males usually had three different names, each with its own purpose: One was a personal name, and the other two marked your family and what branch of the family you were born into. The more names you had, the more respected you were. Not everyone was so lucky: women only had two names and slaves were only allowed one.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the Roman\u2019s admiration for multiple names and lineage, they didn\u2019t truly have \u201cmiddle names\u201d as we know them today.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Middle Names Enter the Middle Ages\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

Long after the Roman Empire\u2019s decline, who better to bring back the tradition of three names than the Italians? <\/span>In the 1300s, upper-class Italians had middle names that were<\/span> derived<\/span>(3) from Christian <\/span>saints<\/span>(4). They believed that using the saints\u2019 names would offer them protection.\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Genoa in a Day: Top 10 Things to See in Genoa (Italy) in One Day<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It took hundreds of years for middle names to reach the most isolated parts of the country. During this period, it also spread to other places like France and Spain, where middle names also carried religious and social <\/span>implications<\/span>(5).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to <\/span>Time<\/span><\/i><\/a>, at the beginning of the 19th century, more than half the boys born in France had just one name, while by the end of the century, 46%of them had one middle name and 23% had two middle names.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The UK is Late to the Party<\/b><\/h2>\n

Middle names didn\u2019t really stick in England until the 19th century. <\/span>Only 10% of the British population had a middle name at the onset of the 19th century.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In Scotland, middle names become much more common after 1780. <\/span>According to Alice Cook\u2019s research into the names of Scottish children between 1680 and 1839<\/span><\/a>, 99% of those who had middle names were born after 1780.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

America Needs You to Enlist in \u201cThe Great War\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

As waves of European immigrants arrived in the U.S., middle names were on the rise. It all <\/span>culminated<\/span>(6) with America\u2019s entry in World War I. The <\/span>enlistment<\/span>(7) documents requested three names, not just two.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Later, computers were also programmed to use three names. If someone didn\u2019t include a middle name, the computer would automatically input NMI, which is a military abbreviation for \u201cno middle initial.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Uses of the Middle Name<\/b><\/h2>\n

Middle names have lost a lot of their original meaning. It\u2019s common for modern parents to just pick names that they like or that they believe sound nice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If most middle names no longer hold a lot of meaning, you are probably rightly wondering, why keep them at all? Here are a few uses for middle names in the modern world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Initials<\/span>(8): People may need to use their initials to fill out certain documents, and some people even include middle names in their signatures.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Documents: Certain documents will require people to type in their \u201cfull name,\u201d which includes their given name, their middle name, and their family name.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Heritage(9)<\/span>: Some people like to give their children middle names that honor their relatives. For example, a baby may receive their grandfather\u2019s first name as their middle name.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Religious context: It is still common to meet people who share their middle names with a saint or religious figure, especially in religious communities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Fun: Believe it or not, middle names are a fun conversation topic for students, people on a first date, and for small talk in general.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
\u201cDaenerys of the House Targaryen, the First of Her Name, The Unburnt, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Queen of Meereen, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Protector of the Realm, Lady Regent of the Seven Kingdoms, Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons\u201d.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Vocabulary\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

1. unremarkable (adj.)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Def. ordinary; not special in any way<\/span><\/p>\n

Ex. We went to a pretty<\/span> unremarkable<\/strong> restaurant. None of the food there was any good.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2. scold (v.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Def. to speak angrily to somebody, especially a child, because they have done something wrong<\/span><\/p>\n

Ex. My mom <\/span>scolded<\/strong> my brother for putting ants in my soup.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

3. derive (v.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Def. to take, receive, or obtain especially from a specified source\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ex. The name of the TV show was <\/span>derived<\/strong> from a very old Chinese novel.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

4. saint (n.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Def. a person that the Christian Church recognizes as being very holy, because of the way they have lived or died<\/span><\/p>\n

Ex. <\/span>Saint<\/strong> Thomas Aquinas wrote the famous book <\/span>Summa Theologica.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

5. implication (n.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Def. something that is suggested or indirectly stated<\/span><\/p>\n

Ex. The religious <\/span>implications<\/strong> behind middle names cannot be ignored.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

6. culminate (v.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Def. to end with a particular result, or at a particular point<\/span><\/p>\n

Ex. Our efforts <\/span>culminated<\/strong> in us receiving the best podcast of 2020 award.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

7. enlistment (n.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Def. the act of joining the armed forces; the act of making somebody join the armed forces<\/span><\/p>\n

Ex. The <\/span>enlistment<\/strong> forms state that people under 18 require their parent\u2019s signature and permission.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

8. initials(n.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Def. the first letters of all the names of a person or thing<\/span><\/p>\n

Ex. Walt Oliver Williams had the <\/span>initials<\/strong> WOW.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

9. honor (v.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Def. a person or thing that causes others to respect and admire something\/somebody<\/span><\/p>\n

Ex. I want to <\/span>honor <\/strong>my professor by citing him as an inspiration in my latest book.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

10. heritage (n.)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Def. something transmitted by or acquired from a predecessor<\/span><\/p>\n

Ex. His Italian <\/span>heritage<\/strong> made him interested in learning more about the Roman Empire.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

PHOTOS\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

\/feedback-analytics-public-speaking<\/span><\/a> by <\/span>surdumihail\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Sculpture-julius-caesar-statue-art<\/span><\/a> by <\/span>Couleur<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Church-stained-glass-windows<\/span><\/a> by <\/span>Free-Photos<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Danaerys Targaryan from Game of Thrones<\/span><\/a> by<\/span> Deviant Art\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Ww1-flanders-belgium-remembrance<\/span><\/a> by <\/span>Mattredding\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Sources<\/b><\/h3>\n

https:\/\/time.com\/4451977\/history-of-middle-names\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/time.com\/4451977\/history-of-middle-names\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/people.howstuffworks.com\/why-do-have-middle-names.htm<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wondering why people have middle names? You’ve come to the right place! The history and meaning behind middle names<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121,"featured_media":56266,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[1547],"tags":[1482,1480,1483,1481],"yoast_head":"\nWhat's Up With Middle Names? - VoiceTube<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Wondering why people have middle names? 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