I posted this already- but it never appeared. So if it’s a repeat, just ignore…
My fiance and I are getting married in [name]October[/name]. I’m not planning on taking his name, but if we should have children, we’ve agreed on giving them his name- which sounds like Stack. I would like to give them my last name as a second middle, but I’m a little worried that it might be too much. My favorite combos right now are [name]Asa[/name] [name]Guillaume[/name] and [name]Juno[/name] [name]Clothilde[/name] (or [name]Susannah[/name] [name]Clothilde[/name]). So along with those potentially complicated middle names, I’m intending to add R0$enb erg. [name]Asa[/name] [name]Guillaume[/name] or [name]Juno[/name] [name]Clothilde[/name] R0$en berg Stack are kind of a mouthful, right?
I’m not at all familiar with the protocol for two middle names, but I’m thinking that most of the time the second middle will be expressed as an initial, right? [name]Asa[/name] [name]Guillaume[/name] R. Stack or [name]Juno[/name] C. R. Stack? I would love to hear some opinions. [name]Do[/name] you think that it’s too much name?
I’m not interested in shortening it to [name]Rose[/name] or anything, that defeats the purpose. We would either add the whole name, or just stick to one middle.
It depends how important your surname and heritage are. If, for example, your fiancé isn’t Jewish, then I could understand how you’d want your own background to be more overt in their names. it is a lot of name, honestly (especially since [name]Guillaume[/name] and [name]Clothilde[/name] are heavy, serious names, albeit lightened by passing into French), but it’s not exceptionally [name]OTT[/name].
Most of the time in the States (not sure about [name]Canada[/name]) there is space for only one middle name on many forms, documents, and examinations, so the second one is simply dropped.
Thanks blade. I think my biggest concern is the poor kid learning to write it out. I remember struggling with it- and if I stick them with complicated middles- I don’t know if I want to further confuse them.
I’m not actually Jewish, but I like my name. In the area where I grew up, it’s fairly prominent. My family was one of the first non-native residents of the area and in this town, and that’s somehow more meaningful than maybe it should be. So if we ever end up back there, the name will actually be kind of an advantage. It opened some doors for me, anyway. God, that’s awful.
My experience with my name will likely be pretty different than any potential offspring. People outside my small Inland NW neighborhood have always expressed surprise, and sometimes shock and bewilderment when they find out I’m not Jewish. I had a college classmate who shared my last name and when he found out I wasn’t Jewish, he kept asking me if I was SURE and calling people over to tell them. I have a handful of these types of stories. It’s never bothered me and I’ve always found it somewhat amusing. But I’ve also gone through long swathes of my life living in places where everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) knows one or two or three members of my extended (Lutheran, for the most part) family.
I actually kind of HATE double middles, but I feel like I want to share a name with my kid(s) somehow and this seems like a good solution. Particularly if it’s not something that is used all that much- it could be something that only our family knows about. I’m ok with that.
Where I live, long names with mom’s maiden as a second middle is the norm. Knowing who your mom’s family is is a big part of my community and kids all learn to write out “[name]Asa[/name] [name]Guillaume[/name] [name]Ro[/name]$enb erg Stack” by 3rd grade. The kids take pride in their ties to both families, just as you do.
I actually love the usage of the mother’s maiden name as a second middle(or even a second surname). If I had any sense of ownership and pride in my maiden name(it’s incredibly common and has brought me nothing but grief as a result), I would absolutely give it to every one of my children, no hesitation.
This is part of the reason I love the Hispanic tradition of having a double last name. Not hyphenated. [name]Just[/name] double. FN, MN, dad’s LN, mom’s LN. It keeps the connection to [name]BOTH[/name] sides of the family. The only problem is that it creates HUGE issues here in the States. I’m getting married soon, and I’m struggling with changing my name. I know I don’t have to, but it means a lot to him. I will also say that I have and have had a number of students with second surnames (usually hyphenated) and every single one of them has only used one surname on their papers and sees it as more of a hassle than anything else. My advice is to try to keep the name as streamlined as possible.
