Emmy Jo's Middle Name Survey -- What middle names do you like?

Question

Hi! A lot of people come on here puzzled about what middle name to give their child, so I thought it might be good to do a survey about the reasons most of us choose middle names, what our favorite middle names are, and what OUR middle names are. Please answer each of the six questions.

1. What are the MAIN things you consider when trying to pick middle names? (Select up to three answers, and feel free to comment.)

a. I just want something that flows nicely with the first and last name.

b. I see the middle name slot as a good way to honor a friend or family member.

c. I see the middle name slot as a chance to use yet another name I love.

d. I choose middle names to balance out a first name, either by making a unisex first name seem more feminine (e.g. Hayden Rose) or making an old-fashioned first name seem more modern (e.g. Cecelia Peyton).

e. I think the middle name should be normal so my child has an alternative in case he doesn't like his first name.

f. The middle name slot gives me a chance to be more daring and creative while still giving my child a normal first name. (Example: Hannah Persephone)

g. I choose middle names that convey a quality I'd like my child to possess (e.g., Grace, Faith, Bliss, Felicity) or have a great meaning.

h. I like to choose middle names that form a "meaning phrase" with the first name. (Examples: Mia Sarah means "my princess" and Katherine Grace means "pure grace.")

g. Other -- please explain.

2. How many middle names do you think are "ideal" (zero, one, two, or more) and why?

3. What are your three favorite middle names for girls? (If you don't have any all-purpose middle names you like, you can list three favorite first-middle combinations instead.)

4. What are your three favorite middle names for boys? (You can list first-middle combinations instead.)

5. What middle names are you tired of hearing or do you think are overused?

6. What is YOUR middle name, and approximately how old are you?

Thanks!

Answer 1

sorry this survey is really long so ill cut my answer short,

my middle name is Lily i was named after my great grandmother my first name is sawyer i think it flows nicely im a girl and im 14 i

Answer 2

1.F,G and H.Honestly,I consider all of them but i could only choose three so i choose them because i want my daughter or son to have a creative or more unique middle name.So if I like Apple or Peaches or something that other ppl would think was embarassing i would still use the name but my child would have more of a usual first name.

2.I think one is enough,but recently ive been thinking about giving my child two.Just because i have three favorite names and i want to name him/her all of them.

3.I like Imogen Madeline Rose <3 or Sophia Isabella Rose <3 or Scarlett Myleene Rose <3 or Zara Emme Faith <3

4.I only have two favorite combinations,Elliot Thomas or Oliver Martin/Martyn

5.Rose is quite common but i love it.Im not keen on Elizabeth,Jane,Ann and Marie.

6.My middle name is Rose and im 14 so a long time until i have kids.lol.

  

Answer 3

1.  a, c, f

2. one

3. it really depends on the name but Jade, Paige, and Joy are a few that seem to go nicely with alot of names

4. Joel, Daniel, Thomas...same as above, they seem to go nicely with alot of names

5. for girls...Marie, Ann, Rose, Grace.  for boys...Lee, Michael, Scott

6. Suzanne...old enough to know better  ; )

Answer 4

Wow! I don't have time to read all of your questions let alone answer. That's a LOT!!! Sorry.

Answer 5

1. What are the MAIN things you consider when trying to pick middle names? (Select up to three answers, and feel free to comment.)

b. I see the middle name slot as a good way to honor a friend or family member.

2. How many middle names do you think are "ideal" (zero, one, two, or more) and why? One unless it is a tradition or you can't decide or it just sounds better to have more.

3. What are your three favorite middle names for girls? Jo, Joelle are the ones I like right now, after my grandma.

4. What are your three favorite middle names for boys? Christopher after my father-in-law and David after my father.

5. What middle names are you tired of hearing or do you think are overused? Grace and Rose!

6. What is YOUR middle name, and approximately how old are you? My maiden name is now my middle name, I couldn't part with it.  I'm 30.  Oh and it is Solverson.

Answer 6

1. Mainly B and C.

2. I like at LEAST one middle name and up to 2, but no more than 2.

3. Katherine, Joy, Michelle.

4. James, Michael, Daniel.

5. Marie! Elizabeth, Hope, Faith.

:o)  

Answer 7

1.

b. I want to honor family members, but I can't stand it when there are seven Michaels or Marys in a family. My husband is Kevin Kenneth, his father (and grandfather) are Kenneth Ernest, his uncle is Kenneth Ray, his brother in law is Kenneth Charles, and our son will be James Kenneth. I wanted to honor this plethora of Kenneths, but I was not going to bring yet another Kenneth into the world. Since we're going to use it as middle name, it neatly sidesteps adding a fifth Kenneth-as-a-first-name into the family, but still honors all of them.

f. I can't convince my husband into it, but I love a lot of goofy, unusual names. If I wasn't so set on family names for middle names, I love using my more out-there names for the middle, like Genevieve Valentine, or Naomi Jemima.

d. It's not my style, but I much prefer seeing this used for other people's kids. (ex. I would prefer to see a Madison Amelia over Madison Cayden.)

2. One middle name. I moved my maiden name to a second middle name when I got married. I wouldn't have been able to do that reasonably if I had already had two middle names. I also think that going without a middle name would be a very bad idea. Most forms require at least a middle initial. My Iranian friend from high school, Nusha, always had her name as Nusha NA Lastname on forms because her mother wrote N/A on the first form that had asked for her middle name.

3. Charlotte, Margaret, Valentine. They are unusual, but still tend to sound good with whatever name they're paired with, and they aren't the ubiquitous Rose, Anne, Grace, Marie, and Renee.

4. James, Michael, and Thomas. They're pretty common names, and I think they sound good with basically anything. Michael is a name I like, but is way too common for me to be comfortable having in the first name spot. James is one of those awesome names for me because it's familiar, bordering on common for adults, that isn't used that much right now as a first name, and it makes any trendy name sound more classy when used as a middle name.

5. Grace, Rose, Anne, Marie, and Renee. I don't have any middle names on guys that bother me, but I'm so tired of these ones on girls!

6. Elizabeth, and I'm 21.

Answer 8

1) A) I just want something that flows nicely with the first and last name. &  B) I see the middle name slot as a good way to honor a friend or family member.

2) I think 2 middle names is ideal.

3) My fav 3 middle names for girls are: Amelia, Aurora, Willow.

4) My fav 3 middle names for boys are: Lucas, Oliver, Grayson.

5) Middle names I'm tired of seeing: Grace, Lynn, Marie, Lee, Joy, Rae.

6) Alexandra, I'm 22 years old.

Answer 9

1)  a and c

2)  one - the two people I know with 2 middle names have both "dropped" them.  They do not refer to them at all and claim it is too much of a hassle when filling out paper work.

3)  Anna

4)  James and Avery

5)  Lynn and Lee - not tired of them I just think they are used a lot.

6)  Brianne and 28

Answer 10

I dont even have middle name! my name is just Veronika

Answer 11

1. I consider A, C, and D when choosing a middle name.

2. I prefer one. I don't know exactly why, but I like how it looks and sounds better. (Two middle names can work for some people though. But I would never do more then two.)

3. I think Paige flows well with a lot of names. I think Rose is a very pretty middle name and I don't have a third.

4. I only have one and it's James (I know thats very common). The others depends on the name.

5. Umm, I don't like Grace. I think it's used a lot. And Lynn is used a lot too, but I think it's a cute middle name. And Marie is also a very common, over-used middle name.

6. My middle name is Rae. It's considered a filler name, but I still really like it. I'm 16. I'll be 17 in four months.

Answer 12

1. What are the MAIN things you consider when trying to pick middle names? (Select up to three answers, and feel free to comment.)

a(.i agree with this one the most),b. ,d.

2. How many middle names do you think are "ideal" (zero, one, two, or more) and why? zero or one, because in my family no1 has a middle name

3. What are your three favorite middle names for girls? (If you don't have any all-purpose middle names you like, you can list three favorite first-middle combinations instead.)

Sarah Grace

Leah Rose

Hannah Lee

Rachel Eve

4. What are your three favorite middle names for boys? (You can list first-middle combinations instead.)

Andrew Thomas, Ryan Nathan, Benjamin Michael

5. What middle names are you tired of hearing or do you think are overused? Rae and Nevaeh and Mae

6. What is YOUR middle name, and approximately how old are you?

i don't have a middle name

Answer 13

1. a, b, c, and d.

2. I don't understand this question. Do you mean, like if someone had two middle names? Please rephrase this question.

3. I like: Hannah Marie, Alexandria Hayden, Amelia Grace, and Jamie Cecelia.

4. Matthew Dameon (and that's not supposed to be like Matt Damon, the celebrity), Christipher Scott, Kyle Robert, and Adam Jason.

5. I'm not quite sure. Many people only tell me thier first names! But I think people are branching out a little too far with the new names. Like, no offence if you like this name but, Persephone. And now that I think about it I don't really like Rose either.

6. My middle name is Elizabeth. I was middle-names after my mother. I'd like to keep even my approximate age anonymous.

Answer 14

1.B., C., D.

2. I think one or two are enough middle names. Two in my opinion, are good for honoring many family/friends.

3. These are what I hope to name my kids when I get older :)

Dana Lorraine [Dana for a friend/great role model. Lorraine for a country I hope to visit, France]

Emma Bridget [Emma for my sister, Emily. And Bridget for my brother Brian]

Kali Selena [Selena for a great actress, Selena Gomez]

4. These are what I hope to name my kids when I get older :)

Adam Leonardo [Leonardo for my fave actor, Leonardo DiCaprio]

Luke Anthony [Luke, for my favorite book & Anthony for a great teacher]

Seth Gabriel [I love both names.]

5. I dont like middle names such as Grace, Faith, Hope, Joy, etc.

6.  I don't have a middle name, and I'm a teen :)

xox- Julie

Answer 15

1) a,c,g

2) one

3) don't have favorites, depends on the first name

4) Ann,Rose,Lynn,Marie

5) Suzanne-30 something

Answer 16

1)  I would say a and b.  For all of the names we picked out throughout my pregnancy, either the first name, the middle name, or both had some kind of family significance.  My son's first name is my mother's maiden name, and his middle name is my MIL's maiden name.

But it's also important that the name have a good rhythm and flow to it when spoken, so I definitely take that into consideration as well.

2)  I say one middle name--why does anyone need more than that?  MIddle names hardly get used to begin with, and when you give your child more than one middle name, what usually ends up happening down the road is that they end up ditching one of them, since most forms, online registries, etc. only have space for one middle initial anyway.  

3)  I don't necessarily have any "favorites"--I try to look for names with some kind of family meaning and significance, and I try to choose the one that sounds best with the first name I picked out.  I try to stay away from the predictable "filler" middle names, like Grace, Rose, Ann, Lynn, Marie, etc.

4)  See answer #3

5)  Grace, Rose, Hope, Paige, Jade, Ann, Lynn, Marie, Nicole.  With so many names out there to choose from, I think parents can put a little more thought into the middle names, instead of just choosing the old "safe" names.

6)  I am in my thirties, and I was not given a middle name, as was the custom on my father's side of the family.  My great-grandmother, grandmother, aunts, sister, and all of my female cousins on that side were not given middle names at birth.  Now that I am married, my maiden name is what I use for my middle name and initial, as did the other women in my family.

Answer 17

Fun poll!

1.  B - My husband and I have very different styles when it comes to baby names, so we agreed that every name we choose has to have a family connection.  That's not to say that we agree instantly, but at least it narrows our pool.

C - That said, we're probably going to give our daughter-to-be two middle names, the second a little on the daring side.  Mostly because limiting yourself to family monikers can feel a little stifling, and she's probably our last kiddo.  (If I had it to do over again, I'd give my son a second mn, too.)

2.  I've already tipped my hand with this - I think that everyone should have a middle name, mostly because it creates an alternative if your first name doesn't quite fit.  If you've got some purpose behind adding a second middle name, then I think that's fine, too.  But you do have to be cautious.  Unless you're a member of a royal dynasty, names like Isabella Katharina Gracielle are WAY over the top.

3.  For girls, I'm quite fond of ends-in-y sounds and three syllable names in general:

Rosemary

Delaney

Avalon

4.  Ditto for boys, but I'm less fond of ends-in-y:

Gideon

Giacomo

Julien

5.  Now this is a long list!  I have a particular dislike of "filler" middle names - the Ann, Lynn, Lee, Marie of my generation and their successors - Rose, Grace, Hope, Jane.  For boys, it's a bit trickier because many "filler" middle names - James, William, John - are actually in honor of male family members.  So I'm a bit less harsh about those.

6.  Hmmm ... it doesn't really apply.  I'm 35, and legally changed my name when I was 28.  But I was born with the middle name Beth - not the worst filler, but a pretty generic choice anyhow.  My sisters were middle named Lynne and Marie - equally uninspired.