Is it normal to not have a middle name?

28 comments

1. I’d say the average American likely has a middle name

   But I have for sure met a few folks over the years that don’t have one. Mostly it’s been people with names like Mary-Beth

2. It’s not abnormal.

   Most people have middle names though.

3. Not common, but it happens.

4. My grandmother didn’t have one. She said her parents just never came up with one. Off the top of my head, she was the only person I knew without one.

5. Different cultures have different naming conventions. Being Russian, I have a patronymic name, so if my name is John and my fathers name is Jacob Smith, my name is John Jacob Smith. In the US it’s understood as a middle name, but I wouldn’t personally call it a middle name since I don’t particularly identify with it. It’s certainly not my first name or family/last name, and the only other box to fill out was “middle”, so there it went.

   Some Latin American cultures have two last names, e.g. Rodriguez-Ramon. I’ve met a few double-last names in my time in the military, even serving with a Gonzalez-Gonzalez. We called him G².

6. It’s kind of abnormal but it’s nbd

7. I know one person without a middle name. Well, without an official middle name. Once we found that out about him, we began making up middle names based on any and every thing. He’s now got about thirteen names.

8. My dad doesn’t have one. We’re Japanese American, middle names aren’t really a thing in Japan.

9. On my Dad’s side many of the girls weren’t given middle names because they would keep their maiden names as a middle name when they married. Allegedly it’s a Swedish thing? Ex: Helen Sunquist became Helen Sunquist Johnson.

10. I’d say most folks have middle names. Then again, most folks are right-handed, but that doesn’t mean being left-handed is *abnormal.*

    Now, if you were left-handed *and* didn’t have a middle name, that’d be something extreme…

11. I have 2, do you want one of mine? Lol

12. My great-grandfather had initials as his first / middle name. They didn’t mean anything….just initials.

    Fairly common to not have a middle name tbh

13. My mom and dad didn’t have a middle name. They were both African Americans — dad from Alabama, mom from California.

14. I don’t have one but tbf my first name is a double name.

15. My whole family has middle names and none of us ever use them. As a matter of fact we all hate our middle names LOL! You’re not missing out on anything.

16. My youngest doesn’t have a middle name. My other two kids do have middle names. Most people at this point do. My grandparents on my mom’s side didn’t have middle names, but other than them and my one kid, I think everyone I know has a middle name.

17. Most Americans do have a middle name but I know some who do not. Most are immigrants or first generation.

18. Out of my parents five kids, only the two oldest have middle names.

19. I don’t have a middle name. My sister doesn’t either. We are 1st generation indians living in America.

20. I’d guess many/most have one, but it’s not super uncommon not to. I’ve known a number of people without middle names, in many cases their families came from cultures where middle names aren’t common. Unless it’s some kind of government document, I don’t even use my middle name.

21. No. Its normal to have a middle name. No one cares if you do or not though.

22. A little but I know some people that don’t and I don’t find it weird.

23. Highly unusual.

    The only guy I’ve ever known who didn’t have a middle name was a first-generation Chinese American (born here) in my fraternity. We had to memorize every member’s first, middle, and last name during the pledging process.

24. Most do occasionally you’ll come by those who don’t , usually they are Hispanic or first generation Asian in my experience.

25. Yes, but I’d say it’s like left-handed rates… slightly noteworthy, but at most you’re one of 2 or 3 out if every 75 people I’m close to.

26. By your own experience, it is not normal to not have a middle name.

    Not having a middle name is not unheard of, especially in certain cultures, but in the US most people have middle names.

27. Not normal, but I’m not scandalized by it. I know a few people with no middle names.

28. No my mother doesn’t have a middle name, it’s one of those things that might seem odd in passing but nothing to really care or stress over.