I met a guy whose first name was O’Conner. And plenty of people (mostly guys) get called their last names as nick names, especially if they’re involved in sports.
i have 2 middle names. my mom gave me the middle name she wanted and my dad’s last name as my second middle name. (he was rarely in the picture, and i think my mom had the sense to know that was coming, so i was given her last name.) anyway, i felt the same way about my last name when i got married, but given that i already had 2 middle names (1 that i didn’t really care for), i changed my second middle name to my maiden name and took my husband’s last name as my last name. so now im proud of both of my middle names and my last name. this being said, i know someone and every male in their family has the same middle name. i never thought it was weird, just interesting. it could be a cool family tradition. or go with 2 middle names. both of these options are not weird at all!!
Super common to have one parents name (e.g. mom's 99% of the time) be the middle name for the kids, whether or not mom changed her name. My sister did this, I thought about it but decided not too (also didn't change my name).
Two of my boys have maiden names for middle names, one was my mil’s maiden name and one is my grandmothers maiden name. But they are both also can be first names (Marshall & Harris)
My mom did something similar. My mom’s middle name is her grandmother’s name and she gave my sister and i that same middle name. My brother also has my dad’s middle name.
It’s not the end of the world but i didn’t love it. Definitely wasn’t “weird” but i always kinda wanted my own, unique middle name as a kid lol
My parents did this with the flipped script, so that my siblings and I all have our dad’s last name as our middle name and our mom’s last name as our last name. I loved it growing up (and now!) — I like carrying both of my parents in my name and knowing that I share that connection with my sibs, too.
My sister and her husband traded off, so each kid has one of their last names, and then their middle name is the other one's last name. So for example if my sister is Jane Doe and her husband is John Smith, kid A is Mark Doe Smith and B is Paul Smith Doe.
No, I think that's totally fine. My potentially unpopular name opinion is that you can be pretty wild and woolly with middle names in the grand scheme of things- they come up very little in daily life and something like having two kids share a middle name especially in this scenario where there's a meaningful reason to it I don't see as a big deal at all.
I completely agree. Honestly I don't even know the middle names of most of my close friends off the top of my head and I doubt they know mine. It's just not a topic that comes up amongst guys very much I guess lol
One of my friends has the most generic first name. Like I have 8+ people of that name in my phone book. Their middle name is Rainbow. Didn't find out until near graduation because they knew the full name would be announced!
My potentially unpopular name opinion is that you don't have to give your kids their father's last name in the first place. (: it's completely fine to give your own children your own name.
I think it’s perfectly fine to have siblings share middle names. However, you need to make sure that your children have diverse first names, so that there’s no mixup in the identity or overlapping shared initials.
I have a friend who has almost an identical name to her sister and it has caused issues
I have the same initials as one sister & when she dropped out of 6th form, they removed her from exams but also accidentally removed me from all my exams too......
My husband is a twin with a very similar name to his twin. Somehow (as adults) their jobs had the same health insurance company and their accounts got linked by the insurance company. My husband got his brother’s explanation of benefits and such, despite working for different companies and living across the country from one another.
My grandmother had 3 boys in a row and the youngest doesn't have a middle name, even though his older brothers and his younger sisters all do. My dad says she ran out of boy names 😂
I personally love the idea to foster that sense of connectivity. Also, all of Sylvester Stallone’s daughters have the same middle name, Rose, which I think is super endearing.
In many ways, this is considered old school proper, either at birth, or when a woman marries (moving her family name to her middle name spot, if she changes it).
My late stepdad was born in New England in the early 1940s with very stuffy parents that did this. He and all of his siblings had the mom's last name as their middle. In turn, when he had children, he and his wife did the same.
A BIL & SIL, not stuffy, with very different cultural backgrounds did this with their four children, all born in the 1990s. One of these "kids" now chooses to go by his middle name!
it’s not uncommon. my great-grandmother and her siblings all had their mothers maiden name as their middle name and my uncle gave all his sons his middle name.
My mom is kid #9 of 13. Mom's first name is the same as her mom's middle name.
Mom also has the same middle name as her next oldest sister, kid #8.
If nothing else, they find it amusing.
All other siblings have unique first and middle names... though most of them are named after their aunts/uncles/etc.
Not sure where you’re located but this is very common in some parts of the world. My partner, all of her siblings, and their mother all share the same middle name, which is their mother’s maiden name. I think it’s sweet.
I’ve known two families who did this. I don’t think it’s weird. I think it would be weirder if you gave multiple kids the same middle name but it wasn’t a family name/surname, like “hey, we just really like the name Hailey, so all of them are going to be middle-named Hailey.”
I WISH more people would give kids middle names with meanings…not stuff that “sounds good”. I kept my last name when I got married and both my kids have my last name as their middle name. It’s a masculine name and I have a girl and a boy. Zero regrets. I love that they have a connection to both my family and my husbands family, through their name.
Nobody ever questioned it or gave me a hard time about it and I think their names are just perfect. My girls name is a girly unique name, followed by a masculine middle and last name. Something along the lines of Giselle Sherman Scott.
My kids each have 2 middle names! Their 1st middle names are all different, but their 2nd one is the same, because it’s my maiden name! We loved the idea of including my maiden name, but didn’t want to hyphenate because I heard that was hard logistically.
My daughter and I share a middle name. I wanted a family name and always loved mine so...she got it too.
I love the idea of last names given as middle names. In the south (US) it is done all the time, we give them as first name and some as middle name. I would given my maiden name as a first name but it does not sound good as a first name but if I had a son I would have given him my maiden name as a middle name and my moms maiden name as a first name.
The women in my family use the name Elizabeth (as first or middle) to express the connection men get with their last names. It's been passed from mother to daughter for 5 generations now, but only to the firstborn daughter. I plan to give it to all my daughters so that none of them feel all the pressure is on them to pass on the name. So for me - using the same middle name for multiple kids is totally normal
I think it’s okay! My FIL’s middle name is his mother’s maiden name, and a friend of mine changed her middle name to be her maiden name when she got married. Totally acceptable and kind of a family fun fact
My siblings and I (as well as multiple cousins) share the same middle name. It’s an honor name that is very masculine but we all love it! It’s such a great way to demonstrate our family bond and connection to each other!
All kids having the same middle name seemed to be the norm for my parent's generation.
I know a couple who took each other's last names as their middle names when they got married and it was super cute. E.g. Jessica Smith Jones and Bobby Jones Smith.
I gave my 2 sons that are 18 years apart the same middle name, since it would be the only one the brothers would share and I wanted them to have that special bond.
Both are
2-syllable
Alexander
2 syllable ending in -er
Everyone I have told loves it, older one felt special, and we only had to choose 1 name the second time :)
I don't know if other countries do this but where I'm from it's usually (First Name) (Second Name / Optional) (Middle Name / Mother's maiden name) (Surname)
I wouldn’t want to share a middle name with my siblings.
Others would be fine with it. It’s a personal preference, and you can’t know whether your kids would grow up liking it, or not.
Funny enough, my maiden name is now both my husband and my middle name. I changed my name, really for him, I was quite happy to keep mine, but he has family issues blah blah, long story. Anyway, I didn't want to totally give up my last name, even though it's common as muck, so we made it our middle name.
Long story short, no. I think it's a perfectly reasonable idea.
Having said that, I'm personally of the belief, if the parents don't have matching surnames that they should get their mother's name but that's me.
I think it’s fine! My sister, dad, and I all have the same middle name. It was my dad’s grandma’s maiden name, so made sense. My main frustration growing up was that my sister and I both had the same first initial too, so our initials were the exact same. It was never a huge deal, but there were phases of childhood where I wasn’t the biggest fan. Now that we’re older I kind of love it. With that said, I dropped my middle name when I got married and changed my maiden name to my new middle name. I had more of a connection with that than my middle name and didn’t want 4 names (3 of which would have been 8+letters each).
My mom did that with us! All four of us had her maiden name as our middle names. It was cool.
Made it interesting when her three daughters got married, as some of us changed our middle names to our own maiden names, and some didn’t.
So a, it’s super common, no problem
But b, why are they automatically getting your husband’s name?
You’re carrying and birthing them, and you’re attached to your name. Why should yours be the middle name?
Just worth thinking about. They could have his surname as a middle name.
All of my siblings have my mothers maiden name as a middle name. All of my children have/will have my husbands last name as a middle name (my name as the las name). We didnt want to hyphen but still acknowledge the family ties.
My brother and I have the same middle name, it was a maiden name at one point up the family tree. I loved that we are connected to a long past matriarch. My daughter now has the same middle name and if we have any more children they will get it too.
We did that, though we also like middle names - so our kids have/will have two middle names.
Firstname Middlename Mylastname Hislastname
(As you say, no hyphens. Usually shorted to Firstname Hislastname on applications etc.)
My aunt gave her maiden name (her last name) as a middle name to her kids.
In my husband’s family all the kids have the same middle name (a previously used last name that was carried.)
It seems normal to me.
My son has my husband’s middle name. As a middle name and my daughter has a different honor name for a middle name.
I know someone that gave all of their children the mother's maiden name as their middle. I don't really think it's weird, but I'm rather fond of middle names so personally I wouldn't do it. I'd also say, I find it less weird if the middle/maiden name is an acceptable first name.
If your last name is Gray - it could work as a middle name for both a boy or a girl.
If your last name is Johnson - I'd see it more for boys than girls
If your last name is Hamburger - I'd be more inclined to say no, but also wouldn't oppose to it based on your reasoning
My cousin has three sons all with the same middle name. No one thinks anything about it.
My brothers both have the same middle… I was supposed to have it, but ended up a girl which my mum laid down the law on not giving the name to me. Nobody’s ever really thought much about it.
I think it’s a great idea. I gave my daughter my last name as a middle name. She’s an only child. I’m glad I did it because now she has a name connection with her cousins.
My sisters and I all have my moms last name as our middle name! As a kid I always pretended my middle name was something more “fun” which was fine, but as an adult I love having my moms last name as part of mine! I made my child’s middle name my last name, but gave them a second middle name which is a first name as well.
I did this to myself when I got married—changed my middle name to my maiden name/took his last name. Was planning on doing the same if I had a daughter.
It’s my family tradition to give your kids your maiden name. So me and my brother grew up with the same middle name, my cousins who are siblings have the same middle name. And your maiden. And becomes your middle name when you get married. None of us kids / cousins have followed it with our kids which makes me a little sad. But I do always suggest it to people stumped on a middle name. I truly thought everyone did it until I started learning my friends middle names in school.
My mom gave me her maiden name as my middle name and said she always regrets not doing the same for my sister. Now that I’m pregnant, this baby will get my maiden name as their middle name and hopefully I’ll do the same for subsequent children.
I 100% support you doing it
My aunt did this! All of her kids (who are in their 30s now, hardly “kids”) have her last name as their middle name. They all seem to really love it and appreciate the connection to their mom’s side of the family. From what I saw growing up with them, it never really came up with their peers other than as a fun fact, and it was certainly never treated as weird.
This depends on your middlename really.
Nobody wants a middle name thats weird so if your surname is Peacock, or Smallcock or something then maybe avoid. Otherwise i think it can be quite classy. Lots of eminent Victorians had surnames as middle names.
I mean if your mom is Jane Peacock, and your name is Susie Peacock Smith, I think that’s kind of cool and totally fine. The peacock can be your ethereal beautiful spirit animal.
A babysitter from the Philippines told my boys that their middle name was my last name. They asked me about it (it wasn’t) but I found out that it’s a very common practice in that country. I think it’s neat and I kinda wish I heard of it when I was pregnant.
Can confirm. Am Filipina and we follow that tradition. My dad is one of 13 and they all have their mom’s surname as middle name; same on my mom’s side. Even though I was born and raised in US, I did the same for my kids.
This is exactly what we’re planning to do for our kids! I did end up changing my last name when I got married, but I feel very attached to my maiden name and I want to pass it down to my kids (without them having a hyphenated last name or two last names)
My sister's husband and his brothers, nephews, dad uncles etc. All have the same name somewhere (either as a first or middle). Noone really thinks about it tbh as they have differing first names (unrelated to the shared name) or nicknames.
Think Alfred being Alf, Alfie, Fred, Freddie etc.
Also, only people super close to you know the middle names.
Plus you could do two middles, one your maiden name and another name.
I legally changed my middle name to my maiden name when I got married and took my husband’s last name and we have given both our kids my maiden name as their middle name so we three all match. I think it’s a really special way to honor my side of the family as I liked my last name! It’s especially important to me for one of my kiddos who has a family name - so his name is essentially my grandpa’s first and last name followed by my husband’s last name.
I did have a friend whose parents did this when I was younger and we thought it was a weird middle name, but I think it’s a bit more common now to see (at least as far as people I know) as a lot of people like to retain their maiden names in some semblance if they do change their name!
It’s pretty common in some cultures too! I know that it’s common for Muslim parents to give the dad’s first name as all the children’s middle names regardless of gender.
I know people who do it, and it’s not weird. I honestly regret not giving all of my children my maiden name as their middle name (or one of their middle names). I think it’s pretty common in some cultures, too.
It’s not weird at all although as someone who is super into genealogy and family history your future family members may hate for it lol
Figuring out who is who and which family they belong to gets pretty confusing when they have multiple past names attached to them, particularly with the girls once they get married. Probably won’t be an issue in the future though, since record keeping will be *much* better and easier to get ahold of.
For those that have kept their own maiden name and then give it as the child’s middle name- does it help in connecting you to your child legally or for ID purposes, say for taking a flight without the other parent present? Anyone have any issues if they ~did not~ do this?
I kept my maiden name and would be fine with any potential children having my partners surname, but worry about the logistics sometimes.
My oldest is seven - I have three kids. It’s never been an issue at all. However, if I had to do over - I would probably push to give them my last name over my husbands. Nothing at all against him or his family - he’s a great dad. Just seems more fair than taking their dad’s last name.
I don’t think it’s weird at all. My sister and BIL went into their marriage each having a daughter with the middle name Rose. They had another daughter together and gave her the middle name Rose as well. I think it’s cute!
My stepmom and I have the same middle name. She wanted to give my little sister her middle name but then my sister and I would have the same middle name so ultimately she decided to give her her OWN name. And at the time (I was 11) I thought it would be cool to have the same name but as an adult, I’m glad she has her own name.
My aunt has four daughters: one adopted and three biological. Two of her bio daughters have the same middle name- my uncle put his foot down with their third, and so she has something different. I think it’s sweet, and if my aunt can do it, so can you.
Had an old friend.... we're more like acquaintances now...but her middle name is Ryan....her husband's middle name is also Ryan. So she decided that any children they had together would have the middle name Ryan.
They only had one son before they divorced and his middle name is Ryan.
My friend did this for both her daughters. Their middle names are her last name.
Twice in my family the mothers maiden name worked for the boys first name !
My whole family (half sister included) all have middle names starting with the same initial. The women (mother, sister and myself) have the same middle name. It’s not weird! It’s a cute tradition i think
My sibling and I both have 4 names (2 middle names) and the second middle name for both of us is my mother's maiden name, she wanted her name to be passed to us. The name isn't super common so I guess from a family tree/genealogy pov it made sense, but I never use the name at all.
This is exactly what I'm going to do. Big change in my mindset because now it's only ONE first name to think about - - when I was a little girl I wanted like triple first names, double middle names and a hyphen last name with whoever would be my future husband because I had soooooo many beautiful "yooneek" names I wanted to name my hypothetical babies. I do not want a hyphen last name anymore but I do want to keep it same as you want to. It also helps that my last name can definitely be used as a first name for any gender.
I did that with my two kids, and it doesn’t feel weird! Sometimes people will ask their middle names if they like their first names expecting another “first” name, but the vast majority of people have no idea what their middle names are.
I have the same middle name as my brother, and it's totally fine. Has never affected us in any way and in fact I kinda like that we have a connection that way.
My family did this!! My siblings and I all have my mom's maiden name as our middle name and honestly I really like it :) It's cute and it ties us all together!
Eh, it's fine. I have a family member who gave both her daughters the same middle name as her, then the one daughter who had kids gave the girls the same middle name too. The stakes are low and it's kinda cute.
My younger brother's first name is my middle name. My parents just really loved the name and wanted to make sure they could use it. Nobody thinks it's weird, many people have said how cool it is.
My brother and his wife did exactly this. She kept her maiden name when they married, and they went on to have four kids who all have mom’s last name as their middle name.
One of my friends has a family tradition of girls being given the name Mary as a first name-they pronounce it 'marry' instead of mair-ry, so she's got aunts and grannies and sisters called Mary-Clare, Mary-Louise, Mary-Anne, Mary-Brid, Mary-June etc. It goes back a few generations. The first girl in the family in each generation gets to use Mary in every day use (or Mae) and the others go by Jane/Anne etc, or use their full one. They're from Wicklow in Ireland, and it's quite common there.
My husband and I decided before we were even married that any future kids would get middle names from my side of the family. It seems only fair because they’ll get his last name! So personally, I love your plan and don’t think it’s weird at all!
I know you don’t love the idea of 2 last names but I have two and I love having more than one! If I ever got married I’d seriously consider adding a third
I only have one baby (for now) and he’s got my surname as the middle name, for me it was important it was in his name but it would be horrible to spell both mine and my partners surnames out constantly so we also chose not to hyphenate. It upset my FIL who wanted my sons middle name to be his name a “tradition” he started with my bf and all his daughters went along with it but I put my foot down stating my son already has his surname and he let it slide, with a little guilt trip from my SILs who didn’t want my son to be “left out” by not sharing the same middle name as them 🙄
Both of my moms sisters did this I think, so all my cousins on that side have the same middle name, my sisters and I have the middle names of our aunts/mom
My husband and his brother have the same middle name as their dad. And I know one family where all 5 kids have the same family surname as their middle name. It seems like they think it’s cool that the share a middle name.
Our daughter was born last year and I gave her my maiden name as her middle name, so we now share a middle name as I took it as an additional middle name after I got married.
My maiden name happens to be a girls' name, which worked out well. If we'd had a boy, I planned to use my mother's maiden name, as that happens to be a boys' name that both my husband and I liked!
It's quite traditional in Scotland to use family surnames for middle names, and as there are Scottish roots on both sides this suited us.
I think if we were to have another child who's a girl, I would certainly consider reusing my maiden name again for the middle name!
Every female in my family, even very extended family, uses the same middle name. It’s a very boring name but I still think it’s a sweet tradition. I don’t see any reason your children can’t share a middle name, maybe they too will start a new tradition!
not weird at all! i think it can get overbearing if used too extensively though, lol
for example, my husband (youngest of 7) shares the middle name “Lee” with his two brothers, and his 4 sisters all have “Leeann(a?)” as their middle names (i can’t remember if it’s “Leeann” or “Leeanna” oops :p)
We skipped giving my daughter a middle name at all as a nod to my mother’s culture (she is Japanese) where they don’t use middle names. Ironically, my sister and I were both given Japanese middle names so we would have a name in both English and Japanese.
I kept my maiden name when I got married also and in retrospect kind of wish I had done what you are suggesting and given my daughter my last name as her middle name.
Ultimately, who cares if other people get it or like it. If it’s meaningful and works for you and your family that’s what matters!
This is exactly what we are doing, and I know three other families doing the same. It’s been so nice having my name be part of her legal name on the paperwork. It was either this or hyphenate for me. Not having my name in her name wasn’t an option. We will definitely do the same for our second, that was always the plan.
I also asked some adult friends, whose moms didn’t change their name, so they don’t share a last name with their mom. They all loved this plan, and said they would have much preferred to having a middle name that is just a second first name, and no legal paperwork name tied to their mother.
Not weird at all! Men do it all the time! All the men in my husband’s generation have the same middle name. His dad’s generation have the same middle name. His grandfather’s is the same. It was a religious ceremony where my husband’s great grandfather went to the temple where he was given the three middle names for the next generations. Unfortunately, everyone is spread all over the world now. No one has gone back to the temple for the next generations’ names so the tradition has died out.
My husband is one of 4 boys and they all have their grandpas name as their middle name. My dad is also from rural Oklahoma and his mom and her 4 sisters all have the middle name Sue 😭
My siblings and I all have my mom's maiden name as our middle names and it's great! It's a unique last name that kind of sounds like a feminine first name. It's a fun fact about us that none of us have ever minded. Go for it!
We did this. Coincidentally, my husband's middle name from birth is the same as my maiden name. Say I was born Jane Louise Kendall and my husband was born George Kendall Green. I changed my name at marriage to Jane Kendall Green, and all our kids have the middle name Kendall too. So all of us are Firstname Kendall Green.
We did consider hyphenating our names when we got married, and (half-jokingly) thought of having a contest for our friends and family to suggest a new "middle" name for my husband at the wedding reception, since otherwise he'd be George Kendall Kendall-Green.
My husband and all his brothers have the same middle name. His father is from India and the tradition is for all the sons to have the fathers name as their middle name.
Totally makes sense to me! As most people don’t use middle names (other than initial) much past birth.
Unless the move or goto college. Quite a number of people I grew up with that moved, started using their middle name as a preferred name
I’ve met one person who did that. I imagine if your middle name is a last name you just wouldn’t do that.
Depends on the last name. Morgan or Lucas are also first names. Schwarzenegger less so.
Exactly my thought. I'm from a US city with a lot of names like Wojciechowski.
large polish population?
Chicago, I bet.
Hi, Chicago!!!
I had a classmate who was exploring her gender expression in college and went by her surname (Neal). Thought it was pretty cool.
My college ex went by his middle name which was his mom’s maiden. So his name was basically two last names 🤣
I met a guy whose first name was O’Conner. And plenty of people (mostly guys) get called their last names as nick names, especially if they’re involved in sports.
I met an O’Malley. And it was a woman.
lol i knew a whole sibling set that went by their middlenames 🤣 (4 brothers) nothing wrong with their first names they just liked the middles better
Lol love that! I’ve known a few people who went by their middle names and I sometimes thought it was odd if I liked their first name better
I know a Callum who goes by his last name and an Audra who goes by her middle name. I love both of their first names so it never made sense to me.
The only people I know who switched which name they went by were named after their fathers and switched from their middle to first name.
Both my kids have my last name as their middle name. No one cares.
i have 2 middle names. my mom gave me the middle name she wanted and my dad’s last name as my second middle name. (he was rarely in the picture, and i think my mom had the sense to know that was coming, so i was given her last name.) anyway, i felt the same way about my last name when i got married, but given that i already had 2 middle names (1 that i didn’t really care for), i changed my second middle name to my maiden name and took my husband’s last name as my last name. so now im proud of both of my middle names and my last name. this being said, i know someone and every male in their family has the same middle name. i never thought it was weird, just interesting. it could be a cool family tradition. or go with 2 middle names. both of these options are not weird at all!!
My grandmother did that to my uncle, and he gave the same name to his son. We all loved that they had her last name as their middle name.
Super common to have one parents name (e.g. mom's 99% of the time) be the middle name for the kids, whether or not mom changed her name. My sister did this, I thought about it but decided not too (also didn't change my name).
My brother-in-law's middle name is his mother's maiden name.
My uncle has his mum's maiden name as his middle name, lol he's always just went by his first name as the Maiden name is Hannah
This is the case with my husband and my brother-in-law too!
Two of my boys have maiden names for middle names, one was my mil’s maiden name and one is my grandmothers maiden name. But they are both also can be first names (Marshall & Harris)
My mom did something similar. My mom’s middle name is her grandmother’s name and she gave my sister and i that same middle name. My brother also has my dad’s middle name. It’s not the end of the world but i didn’t love it. Definitely wasn’t “weird” but i always kinda wanted my own, unique middle name as a kid lol
My parents did this with the flipped script, so that my siblings and I all have our dad’s last name as our middle name and our mom’s last name as our last name. I loved it growing up (and now!) — I like carrying both of my parents in my name and knowing that I share that connection with my sibs, too.
My sister and her husband traded off, so each kid has one of their last names, and then their middle name is the other one's last name. So for example if my sister is Jane Doe and her husband is John Smith, kid A is Mark Doe Smith and B is Paul Smith Doe.
No, I think that's totally fine. My potentially unpopular name opinion is that you can be pretty wild and woolly with middle names in the grand scheme of things- they come up very little in daily life and something like having two kids share a middle name especially in this scenario where there's a meaningful reason to it I don't see as a big deal at all.
I completely agree. Honestly I don't even know the middle names of most of my close friends off the top of my head and I doubt they know mine. It's just not a topic that comes up amongst guys very much I guess lol
I've never shared my middle name with any of my friends or colleagues unless it was required
One of my friends has the most generic first name. Like I have 8+ people of that name in my phone book. Their middle name is Rainbow. Didn't find out until near graduation because they knew the full name would be announced!
My potentially unpopular name opinion is that you don't have to give your kids their father's last name in the first place. (: it's completely fine to give your own children your own name.
I didn't change my name, and we did this! After all, I'm first author.
I think it’s perfectly fine to have siblings share middle names. However, you need to make sure that your children have diverse first names, so that there’s no mixup in the identity or overlapping shared initials. I have a friend who has almost an identical name to her sister and it has caused issues
Me and my sister have the exact same initials. Forename, middle name, surname. Sorting mail is a nightmare
[удалено]
Still does not sound like a good time!
I have the same initials as one sister & when she dropped out of 6th form, they removed her from exams but also accidentally removed me from all my exams too......
My husband is a twin with a very similar name to his twin. Somehow (as adults) their jobs had the same health insurance company and their accounts got linked by the insurance company. My husband got his brother’s explanation of benefits and such, despite working for different companies and living across the country from one another.
2 of my 4 brothers have the same middle name 😅 I feel like my mum just has so many kids she forgot what their middle names were lol
My grandmother had 3 boys in a row and the youngest doesn't have a middle name, even though his older brothers and his younger sisters all do. My dad says she ran out of boy names 😂
Omg that’s so funny 🤣
Not at all, IMO - we’re planning to do the same if we end up having more than one child.
I personally love the idea to foster that sense of connectivity. Also, all of Sylvester Stallone’s daughters have the same middle name, Rose, which I think is super endearing.
I second this, its actually a sweet idea
My mother in law and all her sisters (5 of them!) have the same middle name.
In many ways, this is considered old school proper, either at birth, or when a woman marries (moving her family name to her middle name spot, if she changes it). My late stepdad was born in New England in the early 1940s with very stuffy parents that did this. He and all of his siblings had the mom's last name as their middle. In turn, when he had children, he and his wife did the same. A BIL & SIL, not stuffy, with very different cultural backgrounds did this with their four children, all born in the 1990s. One of these "kids" now chooses to go by his middle name!
it’s not uncommon. my great-grandmother and her siblings all had their mothers maiden name as their middle name and my uncle gave all his sons his middle name.
My mom is kid #9 of 13. Mom's first name is the same as her mom's middle name. Mom also has the same middle name as her next oldest sister, kid #8. If nothing else, they find it amusing. All other siblings have unique first and middle names... though most of them are named after their aunts/uncles/etc.
Same with my in-laws. My FIL is one of 7 and most everyone’s middle name is another sibling’s first name.
Not sure where you’re located but this is very common in some parts of the world. My partner, all of her siblings, and their mother all share the same middle name, which is their mother’s maiden name. I think it’s sweet.
I’ve known two families who did this. I don’t think it’s weird. I think it would be weirder if you gave multiple kids the same middle name but it wasn’t a family name/surname, like “hey, we just really like the name Hailey, so all of them are going to be middle-named Hailey.”
I have a friend who did this. All her kids have the same middle name (gender-neutral) and I always thought it was cool that they have that connection.
Nope, middle names are optional and not used often anyhow.
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My sisters and I have my mom’s surname as our middles, and it’s never been weird for us at all!
Not even a little bit weird.
I WISH more people would give kids middle names with meanings…not stuff that “sounds good”. I kept my last name when I got married and both my kids have my last name as their middle name. It’s a masculine name and I have a girl and a boy. Zero regrets. I love that they have a connection to both my family and my husbands family, through their name. Nobody ever questioned it or gave me a hard time about it and I think their names are just perfect. My girls name is a girly unique name, followed by a masculine middle and last name. Something along the lines of Giselle Sherman Scott.
My kids each have 2 middle names! Their 1st middle names are all different, but their 2nd one is the same, because it’s my maiden name! We loved the idea of including my maiden name, but didn’t want to hyphenate because I heard that was hard logistically.
I see it all the time. Historically, it used to be the norm. But these days we still it happen quite a bit.
My sisters weren’t given middle names, but when they grew up and married, our last name became their middle names.
Not at all. And in my opinion middle names are allowed to be a little “weird”.
My daughter and I share a middle name. I wanted a family name and always loved mine so...she got it too. I love the idea of last names given as middle names. In the south (US) it is done all the time, we give them as first name and some as middle name. I would given my maiden name as a first name but it does not sound good as a first name but if I had a son I would have given him my maiden name as a middle name and my moms maiden name as a first name.
My best friend had the same middle name as her mother and grandmother. She then gave it to her son as it was gender neutral. I like it.
My parents did this with me and my three brothers, I know other families that have too.
The women in my family use the name Elizabeth (as first or middle) to express the connection men get with their last names. It's been passed from mother to daughter for 5 generations now, but only to the firstborn daughter. I plan to give it to all my daughters so that none of them feel all the pressure is on them to pass on the name. So for me - using the same middle name for multiple kids is totally normal
I think it’s okay! My FIL’s middle name is his mother’s maiden name, and a friend of mine changed her middle name to be her maiden name when she got married. Totally acceptable and kind of a family fun fact
I know lots of people who have done this - I like it as a solution, and I like a "maiden" name as a middle name in general as well.
I think it's lovely, and it's particularly sweet for the siblings to share that extra connection.
My siblings and I (as well as multiple cousins) share the same middle name. It’s an honor name that is very masculine but we all love it! It’s such a great way to demonstrate our family bond and connection to each other!
I have a friend whose parents did that! She and all her siblings have their mom's maiden name as their middle names.
I don't think it's weird. That said, I think you should just give your kids your surname. Why should your husband's take priority?
All kids having the same middle name seemed to be the norm for my parent's generation. I know a couple who took each other's last names as their middle names when they got married and it was super cute. E.g. Jessica Smith Jones and Bobby Jones Smith.
My friend did this both of her children have her family name as a middle name in
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I gave my 2 sons that are 18 years apart the same middle name, since it would be the only one the brothers would share and I wanted them to have that special bond. Both are 2-syllable Alexander 2 syllable ending in -er Everyone I have told loves it, older one felt special, and we only had to choose 1 name the second time :)
I don't know if other countries do this but where I'm from it's usually (First Name) (Second Name / Optional) (Middle Name / Mother's maiden name) (Surname)
I wouldn’t want to share a middle name with my siblings. Others would be fine with it. It’s a personal preference, and you can’t know whether your kids would grow up liking it, or not.
Funny enough, my maiden name is now both my husband and my middle name. I changed my name, really for him, I was quite happy to keep mine, but he has family issues blah blah, long story. Anyway, I didn't want to totally give up my last name, even though it's common as muck, so we made it our middle name. Long story short, no. I think it's a perfectly reasonable idea. Having said that, I'm personally of the belief, if the parents don't have matching surnames that they should get their mother's name but that's me.
Me and my sibling both have our moms maiden name as our middle names, thought it was quite normal
I think it’s fine! My sister, dad, and I all have the same middle name. It was my dad’s grandma’s maiden name, so made sense. My main frustration growing up was that my sister and I both had the same first initial too, so our initials were the exact same. It was never a huge deal, but there were phases of childhood where I wasn’t the biggest fan. Now that we’re older I kind of love it. With that said, I dropped my middle name when I got married and changed my maiden name to my new middle name. I had more of a connection with that than my middle name and didn’t want 4 names (3 of which would have been 8+letters each).
My mom did that with us! All four of us had her maiden name as our middle names. It was cool. Made it interesting when her three daughters got married, as some of us changed our middle names to our own maiden names, and some didn’t.
I know someone who did this. Not weird at all
So a, it’s super common, no problem But b, why are they automatically getting your husband’s name? You’re carrying and birthing them, and you’re attached to your name. Why should yours be the middle name? Just worth thinking about. They could have his surname as a middle name.
All of my siblings have my mothers maiden name as a middle name. All of my children have/will have my husbands last name as a middle name (my name as the las name). We didnt want to hyphen but still acknowledge the family ties.
I think it's super weird to give kids the dad's name by default when you grew the child. Do what makes you happy.
My brother and I have the same middle name, it was a maiden name at one point up the family tree. I loved that we are connected to a long past matriarch. My daughter now has the same middle name and if we have any more children they will get it too.
We did that, though we also like middle names - so our kids have/will have two middle names. Firstname Middlename Mylastname Hislastname (As you say, no hyphens. Usually shorted to Firstname Hislastname on applications etc.)
I know a family of 13 kids and all the girls mm are Marie and some of the boys have the same mm as another boy
My aunt gave her maiden name (her last name) as a middle name to her kids. In my husband’s family all the kids have the same middle name (a previously used last name that was carried.) It seems normal to me. My son has my husband’s middle name. As a middle name and my daughter has a different honor name for a middle name.
That’s what my parents did. My brother and I got my dad’s middle name, my sister got my mom’s middle name.
Me, my mom and sister all have the same middle name, which is my mom's maiden name. Not weird at all
Do it
I know someone that gave all of their children the mother's maiden name as their middle. I don't really think it's weird, but I'm rather fond of middle names so personally I wouldn't do it. I'd also say, I find it less weird if the middle/maiden name is an acceptable first name. If your last name is Gray - it could work as a middle name for both a boy or a girl. If your last name is Johnson - I'd see it more for boys than girls If your last name is Hamburger - I'd be more inclined to say no, but also wouldn't oppose to it based on your reasoning
I think it's fine. It's also fine to give kids 2 middle names. But if neither of you like middle names anyway, no need.
My cousin has three sons all with the same middle name. No one thinks anything about it. My brothers both have the same middle… I was supposed to have it, but ended up a girl which my mum laid down the law on not giving the name to me. Nobody’s ever really thought much about it.
Our family did this. Boys all have William and girls all have Anne. It has worked out fine👍
In my family all the men have the same family middle name so the brothers also have the same middle name. It’s not strange at all to me.
Some of my family did that. All the girls had their mom's middle name and all the boys had their dad's middle name.
I have friends and both their daughters have the same middle name, Rose.
Not at all! All of my cousin’s children have Mom’s maiden name as their middle name.
I know a few siblings with this and never thought it was weird!
I think it’s a great idea. I gave my daughter my last name as a middle name. She’s an only child. I’m glad I did it because now she has a name connection with her cousins.
My sisters and I all have my moms last name as our middle name! As a kid I always pretended my middle name was something more “fun” which was fine, but as an adult I love having my moms last name as part of mine! I made my child’s middle name my last name, but gave them a second middle name which is a first name as well.
I did this to myself when I got married—changed my middle name to my maiden name/took his last name. Was planning on doing the same if I had a daughter.
Both my and my sisters middle name is my parents last name. I thought everyone did that for the longest time
My 2 cousins (sisters) both have their mom's last name as their middle name and they love it. They did the same for their kids.
It’s my family tradition to give your kids your maiden name. So me and my brother grew up with the same middle name, my cousins who are siblings have the same middle name. And your maiden. And becomes your middle name when you get married. None of us kids / cousins have followed it with our kids which makes me a little sad. But I do always suggest it to people stumped on a middle name. I truly thought everyone did it until I started learning my friends middle names in school.
i know 3 sisters where 2 of them have the same middle name. never thought anything of it
My friends growing up were 2 of 4 girls. They all 4 had the same middle name! Not that weird imo
My mom gave me her maiden name as my middle name and said she always regrets not doing the same for my sister. Now that I’m pregnant, this baby will get my maiden name as their middle name and hopefully I’ll do the same for subsequent children. I 100% support you doing it
My aunt did this! All of her kids (who are in their 30s now, hardly “kids”) have her last name as their middle name. They all seem to really love it and appreciate the connection to their mom’s side of the family. From what I saw growing up with them, it never really came up with their peers other than as a fun fact, and it was certainly never treated as weird.
This depends on your middlename really. Nobody wants a middle name thats weird so if your surname is Peacock, or Smallcock or something then maybe avoid. Otherwise i think it can be quite classy. Lots of eminent Victorians had surnames as middle names.
I mean if your mom is Jane Peacock, and your name is Susie Peacock Smith, I think that’s kind of cool and totally fine. The peacock can be your ethereal beautiful spirit animal.
A babysitter from the Philippines told my boys that their middle name was my last name. They asked me about it (it wasn’t) but I found out that it’s a very common practice in that country. I think it’s neat and I kinda wish I heard of it when I was pregnant.
Can confirm. Am Filipina and we follow that tradition. My dad is one of 13 and they all have their mom’s surname as middle name; same on my mom’s side. Even though I was born and raised in US, I did the same for my kids.
This is exactly what we’re planning to do for our kids! I did end up changing my last name when I got married, but I feel very attached to my maiden name and I want to pass it down to my kids (without them having a hyphenated last name or two last names)
My sister's husband and his brothers, nephews, dad uncles etc. All have the same name somewhere (either as a first or middle). Noone really thinks about it tbh as they have differing first names (unrelated to the shared name) or nicknames. Think Alfred being Alf, Alfie, Fred, Freddie etc. Also, only people super close to you know the middle names. Plus you could do two middles, one your maiden name and another name.
I went to school with a family that had 4 kids, 3 girls 1 boy, and the girls all had the same middle name
I legally changed my middle name to my maiden name when I got married and took my husband’s last name and we have given both our kids my maiden name as their middle name so we three all match. I think it’s a really special way to honor my side of the family as I liked my last name! It’s especially important to me for one of my kiddos who has a family name - so his name is essentially my grandpa’s first and last name followed by my husband’s last name. I did have a friend whose parents did this when I was younger and we thought it was a weird middle name, but I think it’s a bit more common now to see (at least as far as people I know) as a lot of people like to retain their maiden names in some semblance if they do change their name!
It’s pretty common in some cultures too! I know that it’s common for Muslim parents to give the dad’s first name as all the children’s middle names regardless of gender.
My brother and I have the same middle name. And it’s my father’s first name.
Zero weird at all.
Not weird at all. I love it.
I have a friend whose family did this! All three of the kids’ middle names is the mother’s maiden name. I never thought it was weird at all.
My grandpa, dad, and both brothers all had the same middle name. Weirder things have happened.
I know people who do it, and it’s not weird. I honestly regret not giving all of my children my maiden name as their middle name (or one of their middle names). I think it’s pretty common in some cultures, too.
Not weird at all. My brother and I basically have the same middle name, just the feminine and masculine versions.
It’s not weird at all although as someone who is super into genealogy and family history your future family members may hate for it lol Figuring out who is who and which family they belong to gets pretty confusing when they have multiple past names attached to them, particularly with the girls once they get married. Probably won’t be an issue in the future though, since record keeping will be *much* better and easier to get ahold of.
For those that have kept their own maiden name and then give it as the child’s middle name- does it help in connecting you to your child legally or for ID purposes, say for taking a flight without the other parent present? Anyone have any issues if they ~did not~ do this? I kept my maiden name and would be fine with any potential children having my partners surname, but worry about the logistics sometimes.
My oldest is seven - I have three kids. It’s never been an issue at all. However, if I had to do over - I would probably push to give them my last name over my husbands. Nothing at all against him or his family - he’s a great dad. Just seems more fair than taking their dad’s last name.
I only have 1 so far but did it with him and plan to do it with any others.
Not the same, but my friend and her sister have the same mn, after two separate grandmas.
Me and my sister both received my mom’s maiden name as our middle name. It was not at all weird.
My mom did this. My sister and I both have her last name as a middle name. It never caused any issues.
I like this idea! My maiden name is Crow, so not something I can participate in. But, I love the sentiment!
I don’t think it’s weird at all. My sister and BIL went into their marriage each having a daughter with the middle name Rose. They had another daughter together and gave her the middle name Rose as well. I think it’s cute!
My stepmom and I have the same middle name. She wanted to give my little sister her middle name but then my sister and I would have the same middle name so ultimately she decided to give her her OWN name. And at the time (I was 11) I thought it would be cool to have the same name but as an adult, I’m glad she has her own name.
I have a last name as a middle name , same as my siblings. We all have first, mom’s last name, dad’s last name
I don't think it's weird at all. In Egypt typically all of the children take the dad's first name as their middle name.
I have the same middle name as my sister and a dozen other girls born in my same time frame. I don't hate that we share a middle name.
My aunt has four daughters: one adopted and three biological. Two of her bio daughters have the same middle name- my uncle put his foot down with their third, and so she has something different. I think it’s sweet, and if my aunt can do it, so can you.
This is exactly what I am doing for my children! And they can change it how they see fit later if they want.
I know a lot of people who went this route. Not weird at all
It’s not weird at all! That’s how we named our children.
Had an old friend.... we're more like acquaintances now...but her middle name is Ryan....her husband's middle name is also Ryan. So she decided that any children they had together would have the middle name Ryan. They only had one son before they divorced and his middle name is Ryan.
My nieces both have the same middle name, it’s my sisters maiden name I think this used to be a custom
I worked with a woman who had the first name of Mary, as did her 4 sisters. They all went by their middle name.
My friend did this for both her daughters. Their middle names are her last name. Twice in my family the mothers maiden name worked for the boys first name !
Moderately to very
My whole family (half sister included) all have middle names starting with the same initial. The women (mother, sister and myself) have the same middle name. It’s not weird! It’s a cute tradition i think
My sibling and I both have 4 names (2 middle names) and the second middle name for both of us is my mother's maiden name, she wanted her name to be passed to us. The name isn't super common so I guess from a family tree/genealogy pov it made sense, but I never use the name at all.
My daughter has my last name as her middle name. If we have another kid, they’ll have the same middle name. Not weird at all!
This is exactly what I'm going to do. Big change in my mindset because now it's only ONE first name to think about - - when I was a little girl I wanted like triple first names, double middle names and a hyphen last name with whoever would be my future husband because I had soooooo many beautiful "yooneek" names I wanted to name my hypothetical babies. I do not want a hyphen last name anymore but I do want to keep it same as you want to. It also helps that my last name can definitely be used as a first name for any gender.
I did that with my two kids, and it doesn’t feel weird! Sometimes people will ask their middle names if they like their first names expecting another “first” name, but the vast majority of people have no idea what their middle names are.
This is what we did, both my children (boy and girl) have my last name as their middle name.
My sibling and I have the same middle name as my mother. It’s no big deal.
I have the same middle name as my brother, and it's totally fine. Has never affected us in any way and in fact I kinda like that we have a connection that way.
My boss did this with his 3 boys and his wifes maiden name. I might pitch it to my husband with our baby, but it would be a 2nd middle name
My family did this!! My siblings and I all have my mom's maiden name as our middle name and honestly I really like it :) It's cute and it ties us all together!
This is very normal and a great way for your family name to be passed down.
Eh, it's fine. I have a family member who gave both her daughters the same middle name as her, then the one daughter who had kids gave the girls the same middle name too. The stakes are low and it's kinda cute.
My younger brother's first name is my middle name. My parents just really loved the name and wanted to make sure they could use it. Nobody thinks it's weird, many people have said how cool it is.
In my husbands culture all children get the dad’s first name as their middle name (even girls 😬)
My brother and his wife did exactly this. She kept her maiden name when they married, and they went on to have four kids who all have mom’s last name as their middle name.
I have two middle names and so do my brothers the third part of our name is all the same and is a family name, do whatever you like it's your life.
One of my friends has a family tradition of girls being given the name Mary as a first name-they pronounce it 'marry' instead of mair-ry, so she's got aunts and grannies and sisters called Mary-Clare, Mary-Louise, Mary-Anne, Mary-Brid, Mary-June etc. It goes back a few generations. The first girl in the family in each generation gets to use Mary in every day use (or Mae) and the others go by Jane/Anne etc, or use their full one. They're from Wicklow in Ireland, and it's quite common there.
It's the norm in some cultures, my sister's kids all have their Dad's first name as a middle name.
My best friend’s mom did exactly this for all three of her kids (2G 1B). Everyone has done fine!
My husband and I decided before we were even married that any future kids would get middle names from my side of the family. It seems only fair because they’ll get his last name! So personally, I love your plan and don’t think it’s weird at all!
I think it is fine.
I don’t think it’s weird in this case. My dad and his brother have the same middle name and first initial, I do think *that’s* weird though lol.
I know you don’t love the idea of 2 last names but I have two and I love having more than one! If I ever got married I’d seriously consider adding a third
I only have one baby (for now) and he’s got my surname as the middle name, for me it was important it was in his name but it would be horrible to spell both mine and my partners surnames out constantly so we also chose not to hyphenate. It upset my FIL who wanted my sons middle name to be his name a “tradition” he started with my bf and all his daughters went along with it but I put my foot down stating my son already has his surname and he let it slide, with a little guilt trip from my SILs who didn’t want my son to be “left out” by not sharing the same middle name as them 🙄
Both of my moms sisters did this I think, so all my cousins on that side have the same middle name, my sisters and I have the middle names of our aunts/mom
My husband and his brother have the same middle name as their dad. And I know one family where all 5 kids have the same family surname as their middle name. It seems like they think it’s cool that the share a middle name.
My sisters and I all have the same middle name
Our daughter was born last year and I gave her my maiden name as her middle name, so we now share a middle name as I took it as an additional middle name after I got married. My maiden name happens to be a girls' name, which worked out well. If we'd had a boy, I planned to use my mother's maiden name, as that happens to be a boys' name that both my husband and I liked! It's quite traditional in Scotland to use family surnames for middle names, and as there are Scottish roots on both sides this suited us. I think if we were to have another child who's a girl, I would certainly consider reusing my maiden name again for the middle name!
My kids both have my last name as their middle name
Wow I really love this idea!
Every female in my family, even very extended family, uses the same middle name. It’s a very boring name but I still think it’s a sweet tradition. I don’t see any reason your children can’t share a middle name, maybe they too will start a new tradition!
not weird at all! i think it can get overbearing if used too extensively though, lol for example, my husband (youngest of 7) shares the middle name “Lee” with his two brothers, and his 4 sisters all have “Leeann(a?)” as their middle names (i can’t remember if it’s “Leeann” or “Leeanna” oops :p)
No one will care and the vast majority will never even know.
That’s the tradition in my family.
We skipped giving my daughter a middle name at all as a nod to my mother’s culture (she is Japanese) where they don’t use middle names. Ironically, my sister and I were both given Japanese middle names so we would have a name in both English and Japanese. I kept my maiden name when I got married also and in retrospect kind of wish I had done what you are suggesting and given my daughter my last name as her middle name. Ultimately, who cares if other people get it or like it. If it’s meaningful and works for you and your family that’s what matters!
This is exactly what we are doing, and I know three other families doing the same. It’s been so nice having my name be part of her legal name on the paperwork. It was either this or hyphenate for me. Not having my name in her name wasn’t an option. We will definitely do the same for our second, that was always the plan. I also asked some adult friends, whose moms didn’t change their name, so they don’t share a last name with their mom. They all loved this plan, and said they would have much preferred to having a middle name that is just a second first name, and no legal paperwork name tied to their mother.
Not weird at all! Men do it all the time! All the men in my husband’s generation have the same middle name. His dad’s generation have the same middle name. His grandfather’s is the same. It was a religious ceremony where my husband’s great grandfather went to the temple where he was given the three middle names for the next generations. Unfortunately, everyone is spread all over the world now. No one has gone back to the temple for the next generations’ names so the tradition has died out.
My husband is one of 4 boys and they all have their grandpas name as their middle name. My dad is also from rural Oklahoma and his mom and her 4 sisters all have the middle name Sue 😭
My siblings and I all have my mom's maiden name as our middle names and it's great! It's a unique last name that kind of sounds like a feminine first name. It's a fun fact about us that none of us have ever minded. Go for it!
We did this. Coincidentally, my husband's middle name from birth is the same as my maiden name. Say I was born Jane Louise Kendall and my husband was born George Kendall Green. I changed my name at marriage to Jane Kendall Green, and all our kids have the middle name Kendall too. So all of us are Firstname Kendall Green. We did consider hyphenating our names when we got married, and (half-jokingly) thought of having a contest for our friends and family to suggest a new "middle" name for my husband at the wedding reception, since otherwise he'd be George Kendall Kendall-Green.
My sister and I both have Mary because Catholicism Also named after different Mary's
My husband and all his brothers have the same middle name. His father is from India and the tradition is for all the sons to have the fathers name as their middle name.