Probably not one of the usual questions here…but I’m not really sure where to ask.
I’m from germany and plan on going to the usa soon for a work and travel year.
I go by my second middle name since my first two names are just a family tradition. In germany all your given names are equal and it really makes no difference by which name you go. By now most people go by their first name but it’s also normal to go by ones second or third given name. People won’t question that and in some families (like mine) it still has a long tradition to do so.
My question now is how weird would it be in the usa to go by my second middle name? Is it worth it or would I safe myself a lot of trouble just going by my legal firstname?
I tried to google it but the only answers I got is that it’s not unheard of but definitely unusual.
I don’t know what the statistics are, but having more than 1 middle name in the US is pretty rare. That being said, it’s not uncommon for a person to be known as their middle name. You would just have to use your full legal name for any formal papers, but otherwise you shouldn’t have any problems with using a middle name as your preferred name.
[name_m]Hi[/name_m] there! I grew up in Germany and now live in the US!
I think it’s totally fine. I know lots of people who go by their middle name(s). I even know one person who made up a new name that is not her official name at all. There never seem to be any issues, you just tell people “I actually go by ____” and they go “Oh, okay!”
Some forms also have an extra field where you can indicate the name you go by.
Depending on how long your name is, it might not all fit onto a governmental form (if you have need for those at all given you’re doing a work and travel year), but like I said, I know people named [name_f]Alexandra[/name_f] who go by [name_f]Anna[/name_f], so it’s really not a big deal over here.
I don’t think it’s weird, and people won’t know unless you tell them! Honestly people will just call you what you want them to call you here (unless they seriously struggle with pronunciation).