For those unaware, [name_f]Maria[/name_f] used to be a common middle name for boys amongst Catholic families as a way of showing patronage to the Virgin [name_f]Mary[/name_f]. Such famous examples are [name_m]Erich[/name_m] [name_f]Maria[/name_f] Remarque, [name_m]Carl[/name_m] [name_f]Maria[/name_f] von [name_m]Webber[/name_m], [name_m]Jose[/name_m] [name_f]Maria[/name_f] Aznar (a full list here: Maria (given name) - Wikipedia ). [name_m]Victor[/name_m] [name_m]Hugo[/name_m]'s middle name was also the [name_m]French[/name_m] [name_f]Marie[/name_f] and Voltaire’s real name was Francois-[name_f]Marie[/name_f] Arouet.
Now this practice is almost extinct (though there are still a few current examples among Hispanic men). Thus making me wonder, can a man with the middle name [name_f]Maria[/name_f] still be taken seriously anymore. I know men with female middle names is now often a joke (I remember an entire episode of [name_m]Ed[/name_m], [name_m]Edd[/name_m], n [name_m]Eddy[/name_m] in which Double-D is made fun of for his middle name being [name_u]Marion[/name_u]), but this is a tradition that goes back for centuries. If you had devout Catholic friends who decided to name their son [name_m]Nicholas[/name_m] [name_f]Maria[/name_f], do you think their son would laughed at and mercilessly teased as a child if the other kids found out and embarrassed to write his full name out on legal documents as an adult?
I’m Catholic, so I’m a little biased, but I think it’s a nice tribute and would love to meet a family bold enough to use [name_f]Maria[/name_f] in the middle. I would maybe pair it with a second middle name…I don’t know.
I think it would still be usable in communities with a large Catholic/Hispanic/Latino population where there’s a tradition of doing that. In most of the English-speaking world though, [name_f]Maria[/name_f] is 100% feminine and most boys would be embarrassed to have that as a middle name.
Might be a nice tribute, but is that really a good enough reason to give a child a name that you know ahead of time will likely cause embarrassment even into adulthood? So many other great possibilities that it just doesn’t seem worth it imo.
Yes, it’s definitely usable as a middle name. This is quite common in Europe (and in some royal families), and I know several Hispanic men with [name_f]Mar[/name_f]ía as a middle. None of them have had issues with it.
In the Netherlands (and I think also in Germany and Belgium) this is still done. And not just saints names. There are plenty of boys and girls out there who have middle names that would normally been given to the opposite sex. They are just middle names…
I’m of the opinion that (almost) anything goes in the middle, and as a Catholic, I think it’s a perfectly lovely tradition. In fact, I briefly considered [name_f]Maria[/name_f] for our [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] combo, although DH prefers the more masculine sounding [name_m]Marius[/name_m] or even [name_u]Marion[/name_u]. I do think it would work best in a two-middle combo, so if the boy in question dislikes it, he can just use his other middle name as the default.
It’s totally usable and you can still see it in Europe, even in [name_u]Royal[/name_u] Families. Would he be teased in school? Probaly, but no more that any other kid. [name_f]Remember[/name_f] that kids tease about everything. Plus, as a middle name, not a lot of people will see it. Also, adults would take the kid seriously. It’s still widely used, so no problem about it.
I have a feeling anyone who laughs at this probably has a little girl in their family named [name_u]Logan[/name_u] or [name_u]Elliot[/name_u] or [name_u]Ashley[/name_u].
Tbh, yes, I think that, at some point the kid may get teased, and they will DEFINITELY be embarrassed by the name growing up.
As an adult, they’ll probably appreciate it much more. Gender confinements for names are becoming outdated. If it’s got religious/historical/family significance, I’d say use it, otherwise I’d pass.
I don’t know. I’m familiar enough with the tradition that I wouldn’t be surprised, especially if I knew the family was Catholic. I’ve seen much worse. I’m not Catholic, so I definitely wouldn’t do it, but if it was meaningful to me, why not? I’d be happy to meet a little [name_m]Josef[/name_m] [name_f]Maria[/name_f] or an [name_u]Auguste[/name_u]-[name_f]Marie[/name_f].
Yes. It’s a neat idea in theory, but in practice, I think it’s absolutely a no-go. You don’t know where your son’s professional or personal life is going to go, and he may wind up living and working in a place that has virtually no Catholics who would understand the intention. Ultimately up to you, but I think he’d be in for a lifetime of explaining or defending this middle name. Maybe that sounds hypocritical given that there are more female [name_u]James[/name_u] and Drews born every day, but it’s the reality of American culture right now. I wish it weren’t.
I think it’s totally usable! I’m Catholic so maybe slightly biased but it’s still very much a tradition in Europe and I’ve even met a few male children here in the US with the middle name [name_f]Maria[/name_f] and always thought it was great! Most people won’t even know his middle name so I doubt he’ll be teased about it any more than he would be with any other name. If you’re worried about it being to feminine I’d go with [name_u]Marion[/name_u] instead, but I think [name_f]Maria[/name_f] is perfectly good and usable. It’s a wonderful tradition!
It’s totally usable to me and I’m not even Catholic. With a classic name like [name_m]Nicholas[/name_m], [name_m]Alexander[/name_m], [name_m]Thomas[/name_m], etc. I think it makes a very handsome combo.
I think it would be fine. I never knew that [name_f]Maria[/name_f] was a boys’ mn sometimes, but if there’s Evelyns still (I hope) and Sidneys (I know, much more common than either) for boys, [name_f]Maria[/name_f] should work. I actually really like this idea. I have an unusual name (for where I live) and honestly, I’ve never gotten teased. And who tells everyone their middle name anyhow? I mean, some people will know it if you use it, but I don’t think teasing will be a problem.
It’s a middle name, you don’t have to share that very often and most of the time you can just put the initial. So many boy names are used on girls today, so why not the opposite? Why do boys have to be embarrassed to have a girly middle name while girls who have boy first names don’t? Seriously, society these days…