Two middle names

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-20-2004
Two middle names
5
Mon, 11-08-2004 - 5:20pm
My DH is really set on honoring members of our family when naming our child. We can agree on a girls name, Ella Marie however we can not agree for a boy. My mother's maiden name is Annen and from our family tree the name is almost gone. My dad's middle name is John and his fathers middle name is Richard. He really wants our child to be named Annen Richard, I am just worried about Annen as a first name. It is highly unusual so I am just a bit aprehensive, also my father would not be honored... My idea is to name out child Annen John Richard... we can call him A.J. (which I really like) Thoughts, don't be too brutal after all I am highly hormonal.... Does anyone know legally how one would fill out forms etc... this topic has opened up a whole can of worms.

Thanks,

Jenny
Avatar for haarlasr
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Mon, 11-08-2004 - 8:53pm
I think Annen John Richard (nn A.J.) is a great idea, and I like it better than just Annen Richard. I would worry that if you called him Annen, it would be confused with Anna or Ann and sound more like a girl's name.

I don't know for sure, but can't you just put Annen John as his fn and Richard as his mn on forms. There are plenty of Mary Anns, etc. that must do something like that, right?

Hopefully, somebody else can give you a more definite answer, but my 2 cents is to go with Annen John Richard.

Good luck whatever you decide!

Stephanie w/ Megan Joy (6/6/03) and maybe Julianna May due 11/25/04

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-04-2004
Mon, 11-08-2004 - 9:27pm
Hello! I'm actually not pregnant, but was dreaming about baby names anyway (DH and I are TTC)and I thought I'd offer my 2cents. I am originally a four name individual (as are my brother and sister). We all have a first name, followed by a middle name, then my mother's maiden name (as a second middle name) and our father's last name as our last name. In high school I decided to hyphenate my mother and father's last names because I was tired of trying to figure out how to fill out forms that do not allow for four names. But in college it just wasn't possible without legally adding the hypen (which cost a bunch in legal fees) so I stopped using my mom's maiden name and would try to fit both initials and/or names as my middle name. This lead to having other people decide which middle name to drop for me, which meant that by the time I graduated I effectively had two different names (one with each middle name) and this caused some problems with credit cards, licenses etc. especially in this hightened security day. So, when I got married I dropped both my mother's maiden name AND my maiden name (from dad) and picked up my husband's last name. Both parents were annoyed but have since recovered! Btw, my sister and brother both use mom's maiden name as their middle name and don't use their other one.

All that being said, I like the idea of a two name first name (as in Mary Jane), I suppose I could have done that, however both my first and middle names are long - Adrienne Elizabeth and it would have been too big for ALL forms!

Good luck to you! I'm sure whatever you decide will be wonderful!

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-18-2004
Mon, 11-08-2004 - 9:50pm
Our 3 children have 2 middle names and so will this baby. Our oldest daughter is Mary Rose Elaine. We call her Mary Rose. It took us a few years of trial and error, but we figured out that anywhere we need to fill out her name, under the "first name" category, we place Mary Rose. In general, I do not spell out my children's middle names. So, we just use the initials. We put the name we call them by (no-not what we call them when they are misbehaving... ha ha ha!!) and then in the middle name category we put their two middle name initials. The only place I can think of right now where we have been specific about what their middle names are is at church (for the records), the birth certificate (obviously), and I THINK at the doctor's office.

I really like the names you've picked out for your son!! It is nice to keep a family name going when it is practically extinct! I am not sure how to advise you on what to do when you want your son to go by his first 2 initials (great idea, by the way!) One thing that occurred for us over the years was filling out health insurance cards and placing only Mary in the 1st name category and then Rose and Elaine in the middle names. That caused the insurance company to print our card listing her name as Mary and whenver we went to the doctor or dentist, they would come to the waiting room and ask for Mary. Once we started putting the name she goes by on the forms, it solved the problem. Once in a blue moon we will still get a Mary. Some people actually do just name their child initials, so you could technically just fill in the initials on forms. Not as interesting though, and like a previous poster said, I would be concerned about legalities in adulthood. Maybe a nice clerk at the doctor's office could advise you.......

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-06-2004
Tue, 11-09-2004 - 9:27pm
I think that using all three names would make everyone happy. you could hyphenate John-Richard and use it as "one" middle name. I think AJ is a great nn
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-12-2004
Wed, 11-10-2004 - 12:04am

you know what?