Two First Names Plus a Middle Name

[yourmother]

I'm working on baby names and I keep getting stuck with two first names plus my maiden as a middle name and then our last name.  Is that crazy?  Will it be a PITA for my kid to have two first names (ex: John Paul Smith Jones)?

Or should I give the kid one first name and one middle name (not my maiden) and be done with it?

[Deleted]

It seems a little wordy, IMHO.

[discogranny]

My nephew is named Paul Michael, Family Middle Name, Last Name. Everyone except his mom calls him Paul. So, no, not crazy as long as you are fine with him choosing one of the two names and going with it.

[cville]

I know two people with double names. Both use only one of their double names.

One of them is still called his double name by family, only.

[lilac05]

What about one first name, two middle names? (So the same thing, only technically different on paper only.) You could still call him by his first & first part of his middle name, but it would make paperwork much easier for him for the rest of his life.

[emjacobs]

T has 4 names: First Middle Mom'sMaiden LastName

His first name is similar to his fathers name (Like John is to Jonathon), middle name is a family name.

[lizard1131]

My sister, bro and I all have first. Middle, mothers maiden and last names. It's fine.

[elleblue]

I prefer two middle names over two first names. The name would still be John Paul Smith Jones, but Paul Jones would be considered middle names. 

Oddly enough I grew up with someone named Jon Paul (most likely in honor of the pope). 

[jinkies]

It seems like it would be a pita, honestly.

Are you stuck on both first names bc you want to honor 2 different people? Or just bc you can't decide between the 2?

[orval]

We have a John Paul, John Henry, Ella Claire, Ella Rae, and probably more two first namers in our school. No big deal to me.

[MWOS]

Nov 20, 2014 16:43:18 GMT -5 AutumnRose25 said:

Nov 20, 2014 16:39:19 GMT -5 @tambcat said:

Growing up, I knew some double names starting with Mary - Mary Katherine, Mary Beth. I don't know how easy it is to go through life with two first names being named like a Nun, but I do know that some name fields online/in databases will not accept spaces or hyphens.

EXCUSE ME

[cleo29]

I went to school with a Mary Katherine and went by that except in sports, she was MK.

Also, a good friend was a Paul John, who also went by that except when answering to Popey.

[BeagleMama]

Will he go by both first names? I think it's really wordy and also, when said out loud, is going to sound like you gave him a hyphenated last name (John Paul-Jones). Or, a law firm.

As someone with a weird name, I stand by the "keep it simple" strategy.

[yourmother]

Nov 20, 2014 16:37:18 GMT -5 AutumnRose25 said:

I don't understand having two first names, unless you are French....in France or Quebec LOL

Even then they are usually hyphenated right?

If I saw John Paul Smith Jones I would assume Paul was a middle, not first, name because I think two middle names is more common. 

We are Hispanic, so more along the lines of Juan Pablo Maiden Last.

[yourmother]

Nov 20, 2014 16:39:19 GMT -5 @tambcat said:

Growing up, I knew some double names starting with Mary - Mary Katherine, Mary Beth. I don't know how easy it is to go through life with two first names, but I do know that some name fields online/in databases will not accept spaces or hyphens.

This is what I'm worried about.

I know a girl that is MaryAnne middle name last name.  

[noodleoo]

If the 2 names go together and you will use both of them, then that will probably be fine (eg. Mary Beth Maiden Last). But if you are just going to call the baby Mary, then just drop the second first name. It just seems silly to give a kid 4 names. My nephew has 4 names and they are a mouthful, but she was stuck as it was some family tradition on her H's side. His name is super long, never fits on forms, and I'm sure will be a pain for him when he's older.

We're going to give our baby First Maiden Last. No one really uses middle names anyway and I want my name on there somewhere (I kept my maiden name).

[yourmother]

Nov 20, 2014 16:39:31 GMT -5 lizard1131 said:

My sister, bro and I all have first. Middle, mothers maiden and last names. It's fine.

Are the middle and maiden names two middle names?  Or are the maiden and last name both last names?  Not sure if I'm making sense. 

[yourmother]

Nov 20, 2014 16:55:08 GMT -5 noodleoo said:

If the 2 names go together and you will use both of them, then that will probably be fine (eg. Mary Beth Maiden Last). But if you are just going to call the baby Mary, then just drop the second first name. It just seems silly to give a kid 4 names. My nephew has 4 names and they are a mouthful, but she was stuck as it was some family tradition on her H's side. His name is super long, never fits on forms, and I'm sure will be a pain for him when he's older.

We're going to give our baby First Maiden Last. No one really uses middle names anyway and I want my name on there somewhere (I kept my maiden name).

Yes, I had plans of calling my kid by the two first names. 

[yourmother]

Nov 20, 2014 16:55:37 GMT -5 AutumnRose25 said:

Nov 20, 2014 16:53:11 GMT -5 yourmother said:

We are Hispanic, so more along the lines of Juan Pablo Maiden Last.

Gotcha. 

Can you use all names and then play it by ear with if it ends up being usedas two "first" or two middle names? Like, feel it out if you end up wanting to say both names all the time or just the first, first one?

Does that make sense? LOL

With the names I'm thinking of, it would make more sense to have two first names.

But...this will only be the case for my kid if it's a boy.  I strongly believe this is a girl and all this is a non-issue.  Plus, my DH will have his own opinions about names and I'm 80% sure he won't like my two first name idea.  Womp, womp!

[sparkythelawyer]

I think you just need to tell us the names you are thinking of and let us decide :-)

[pooh8402]

My BIL is like this. He has 2 first names, and we use both of them when referring to him, and 1 middle name and his last name. It was a little weird to me at first but I'm used to it now.

[Deleted]

It totally depends on the length of all names involved. For example Mary Elizabeth Brown Goldberg is fine it has a nice flow

Sara Kate Smith Brown is a little choppy

Maximilia Francesca Abramowitz Bulockski is a really long name.

[Deleted]

One of DS' little friends is Maria Bella Francesca Longitalianlastname.

She goes by Bella.

[yourmother]

Nov 20, 2014 16:41:20 GMT -5 jinkies said:

It seems like it would be a pita, honestly.

Are you stuck on both first names bc you want to honor 2 different people? Or just bc you can't decide between the 2?

I think the flow of the two names sounds like one name.  But, the first of the first (LOL) would be my DH's name.  He has told me before that he is not a fan of naming his kid the same name as him.  That's why this may all be a moot point because he may not even go for it.

[yourmother]

Nov 20, 2014 17:17:14 GMT -5 @meepmeep said:

Are the two first names said together in a way that sounds like on compound name, like Leigh Anne? If yes, I think it's fine. If not, I think it would be weird to have two first names. I do, however, think it's fine to have two middle names, with one being a proper name and one being your maiden name.

Yes, that is the idea.  The flow of the two first names would sound like one name.

I'm super attached to my maiden name for a boy.  I'm an only child and want to "pass down" my maiden name in some way to a male child.  I may just stick to one first name.

[sapphireblue]

My brother has two middle names, both very common first names for boys. He has basically dropped one and only uses one of them because it was much easier in terms of forms and so on.

[Deleted]

I have 2 first names. I go by the first one. I only got called my full name when I was in trouble..

[nonsensetomfoolery]

It is extremely common to have double first names in my area. Just as an example, when I first started at the center I work at 6 of the 12 teachers/therapist had double names. I don't think it causes any major issues, just minor annoyances.

[dragonfly08]

I didn't have to deal with it as a child, but when I got married I went from First Middle Maiden to First Middle Maiden DHsLast.

As far as I'm concerned, I have two middle names. My "legal" name/signature, the one that I use pretty much everywhere, is First Middle DHsLast. Even the State Department didn't put my maiden name/second middle name on my passport. The only two places all four names appear are on my SS card and my drivers license. So I've never found it awkward or problematic, but it is sort of a mouthful and looks kind of odd when it's all written out.

[Marle]

If you are Hispanic then there's your excuse. We don't drop the mothers maiden name it just goes last.
Juan Pablo Medina Gonzalez where Gonzalez is the mother's maiden name. Plus if you chose a name like Juan Pablo that kind of goes together i think that's ok.