Why do Southerners go by their middle name?

The best explanation seems to stem from Southerners' penchant for keeping a name going down the line, especially for males. You end up with John Smith Jr., III, and IV in one family, and calling a child by his middle name is an easy way to distinguish between him and his father.

Why are people called by their middle names?

Today, as Wilson notes, middle names serve much the same purposes they always have: they're a way to keep family names going and thus preserve relationships; they're a way to try something new or “put old names out to grass” without cutting the cord entirely.

Why do Southerners use double names?

These days in the U.S., double names are as sure a sign of a Southerner as a love of sweet tea and strong opinions about barbecue. Giving a child two first names is also popular in the South because of our strong love of family.

Why do people use their middle name as their first?

. Turns out it's family tradition for the first boy to have the same name as his father,grandfather etc and to save confusion he went by his middle name. It's very common in Wales. Lots of my friends were known by their middle name when I was growing up.

Is it weird to go by your middle name?

The good news is, having a middle name as a first name is actually quite common! There aren't official statistics, probably because middlenameites are too classy to make a big deal out of it, but we feel a kinship with each other.

Why Do We Have Middle Names?

Why is Brad Pitt's middle name?

Brad Pitt also took inspiration from his middle name.

The actor was born William Bradley Pitt, so he chose a condensed version of his middle name for his public persona.

Can you have 2 middle names after marriage?

If you already have a middle name then your maiden name can either be a second middle name, or it can replace your current middle name. For example, if Sarah Anne Jones married Alex Jackson, her new name could either be Sarah Anne Jones Jackson or Sarah Jones Jackson.

When did middle names become a thing?

The practice began to catch on with the middle class after the turn of the 19th century, and it had become nearly customary by the time of the Civil War. By 1900 nearly every child born had a middle name.

Why do the British say our before a name?

This usage is/was common in parts of England, mainly northern England as far as I'm aware. The "our" is effectively referring to 'our family'. In the examples given from Keeping Up Appearences, the words are usually being spoken by Rose's mother or father, and hence "our Rose" would refer to their (joint) daughter.

Are middle names an American thing?

The tradition was spread to America as people started to immigrate overseas. As time went on, people started to stray away from religious middle names and get creative with the second name of their child. A common tradition was making the middle name the maiden name of the mother.

What is a Southern double name?

The most common way to make a double name in the South is to use Mary, Anna or Jane preceding a family name. At Vanderbilt, I was in school with a Mary Brown, Mary Michael, Mary Beth, Jane Allison, Mary Margaret, Anna Kate and Anne Marie, to name a few.

Is Mary Jo a first name?

The name Maryjo is girl's name meaning "drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved + god". Cute combination name which is now past its peak. It may be written as one word, two words (Mary Jo), or hyphenated (Mary-Jo).

What is a middle name in Canada?

Many Canadians also have a 'middle name', which is a secondary given name written between the person's first name and their family name. For example, Emma Marie CLARKSON's middle name is 'Marie'. Middle names are optional and are rarely used in daily life. However, most Canadians have one or multiple.

How do you indicate someone by their middle name?

Can my son still be a junior with different middle name?

From Behind the Name: "Junior is used to distinguish a son with the same name as his father. The following conditions apply: The Junior must be a son of the father, not a grandson. The names must be exactly the same, including the middle name.

Why do British people say bloody?

Don't worry, it's not a violent word… it has nothing to do with “blood”.”Bloody” is a common word to give more emphasis to the sentence, mostly used as an exclamation of surprise. Something may be “bloody marvellous” or “bloody awful“. Having said that, British people do sometimes use it when expressing anger…

What do British call cucumbers?

an English cucumber is just the kind you'd buy normally in a British supermarket as 'a cucumber'. They differ from the ones usually sold in the US, which are shorter, thicker- and smoother-skinned, and have bigger seeds.

How did Americans lose the British accent?

The first is isolation; early colonists had only sporadic contact with the mother country. The second is exposure to other languages, and the colonists came into contact with Native American languages, mariners' Indian English pidgin and other settlers, who spoke Dutch, Swedish, French and Spanish.

Do Italians have middle names?

The majority of Italians, especially the younger generations, don't have a middle name and so most Italian passports and ID cards only have a first name and one surname on them. The large majority of Italian forms have only two fields: name and surname. Here is the different Italian terminology around names: Nome.

What was George Washington's middle name?

George Washington did not have a middle name.

Do Indians have middle names?

Those with a Hindu background usually have a given name, middle name and a family name (e.g. Sanjay Lal VASANI). Sometimes, a Hindu family name may indicate caste, and a person may drop this name as a way to reject the caste system (e.g. Sanjay Lal).

Is your middle name on your Social Security card?

The number holder's (NH) first and last name on his or her SSN card must agree with the first and last name shown on the document submitted as evidence of identity or legal name. A middle name or suffix is not considered part of the legal name.

Can I give myself a middle name?

However, you do not need to go through the courts to be able to create a middle name for yourself - you can simply start using the middle name. To make it legal, though, you need to go through the courts.

Are middle names legal?

Given name and Family name

Since a person's middle name(s) or suffix is not considered part of the legal name by SSA, a middle name shown as part of the given name or a suffix shown as part of the family name can be omitted or entered in the middle name and suffix fields of the Enumeration system.