2007-02-09 13:36:01 · 22 answers · asked by iloveamerica 1 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Baby Names
Few Americans were giving their children middle names in the 17th century until the German immigrants introduced this naming custom to America. They were in the habit of giving their children two given names at baptism. The first given name was a spiritual name, often a favorite saint's name, and the second one, which would later be known as the middle name, was the secular name. The secular name, or "call name" was the name by which the child was known and the name used in legal records. It was not uncommon for the spiritual name to be the same for all the children of the same sex within the family.
Actually, it didn't even become popular in America until the 19th century!!
2007-02-09 13:41:27 · answer #1 · answered by Baby #3 due 10/13/09 6 · 10⤊ 1⤋
This is the Western custom to give a person a first, middle and last name. The last name being the father's surname. Other cultures cannot perceive of the concept of a first, middle and last name. They just have a name (first and second).
2007-02-11 00:00:44 · answer #2 · answered by birthcertficatelady 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
if we have a first and a last name, there has to be something in the middle, right? LOL or if we dont like our first names we can use our middle name instead...
2007-02-10 11:22:45 · answer #3 · answered by the new cookie cutter style 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The purpose of a middle name is to inherit a grandpa's/grandma's name (or mother/fathers name if they died when you were an infant) so there spirits will live on. So if someone was born, and there grandpa joe was dead, and that kid was named Josh smith. His name would be Josh Joe Smith, so his grandfathers spirit will live on with his grandson. This started a while ago, before alot of medicine was discovered, and the ones that were wern't as good as todays, so many grandparents never got to see there grandchildren.
2007-02-09 21:47:04 · answer #4 · answered by The Problem Solver 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
For Google!
No, seriously. I believe the middle name is becoming more important as our world "shrinks." A hundred or even fifteen years ago, it wouldn't matter much if there was a lawyer named Jack Walters in Seattle and one in New York. They wouldn't have much interaction. But say you want to hire Jack Walters. You want his contact information, you want to know his background. So, like any modern human, you Google him. And you find out there are 70 Jack Walters in America with law degrees. Wouldn't it be easier to find information if one of them was "Jack Owen Walters"? Middle names help us differentiate one Jack from another. Without them, you don't know Jack.
And they're just cool.
2007-02-10 08:23:11 · answer #5 · answered by kimpenn09 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
To add spice to your first name I guess. I don't really know he real reson though. Also maybe because some people liked a lot of names but only had a afew kids so they named their kids two names so that way they can use all their favorite names.
2007-02-09 23:32:35 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I often wondered the same thing, it's probably a cultural thing. But then again not everyone has a middle name and it is not needed.
2007-02-09 22:30:19 · answer #7 · answered by J. 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Never thought about it, but everyone doesn't have a middle name.
2007-02-09 21:40:05 · answer #8 · answered by missingNYC 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think that as people multiplied we added the middle name to help tell people apart.
2007-02-09 21:46:08 · answer #9 · answered by Topaz 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well from what i was told youre first name is from youre grandparents on youre dads side middle is on youre moms side its all about keeping a name in the family. my name is james edward named after two grandpas
2007-02-09 21:41:53 · answer #10 · answered by wofford1257 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋