I have 4 names, to some people. My first name is what I go by, along with my last name (or surname). My middle name was given at birth, but as part of a tradition in my family, my middle name is my father's first name. I only use it with my other names on government records.
The "second middle name" is a religious thing. When I was confirmed in the Christian faith I had to choose a Saint's name for my Confirmation middle name or something. My mom uses it occasionally, but the law doesn't recognize it, and I certainly don't - they made me go. If I had to choose a religion, I'd be Buddhist or something (see avatar).
I think the whole middle name in America came back in the colonial days. I know a lot of people changed their names when they came here, and thus there were a lot of "John Smith's" and such. The middle name helped identify the right person, back when creativity wasn't correlated to naming.
The "second middle name" is a religious thing. When I was confirmed in the Christian faith I had to choose a Saint's name for my Confirmation middle name or something. My mom uses it occasionally, but the law doesn't recognize it, and I certainly don't - they made me go. If I had to choose a religion, I'd be Buddhist or something (see avatar).
I think the whole middle name in America came back in the colonial days. I know a lot of people changed their names when they came here, and thus there were a lot of "John Smith's" and such. The middle name helped identify the right person, back when creativity wasn't correlated to naming.
