It’s a tradition in my husband’s family to have two middle names and he really wants to continue the tradition. I really, strongly, passionately dislike it… but after a rather heated discussion about it last night I think I should step back and try to be open minded and reasonable about it. Well, I’m trying, but I still hate the sound of it. Any thoughts?
I like two middle names very much, i plan on having two middle names for all of my children. I think it sounds nice IF they have the right names, cause if they dont sound right then it could sound tacky. Finding the right combination for names if the key to making the entire thing work. I do however think that you should at least TRY and have the two middle names if it is important to your husband. Good [name]Luck[/name]!
i really like two middle names. that way you can honor family AND choose a mn of your liking too. i wish i would have given my DS two middle names…but now i think it would seem odd if one child had just one mn and the other had two!
I have two middle names. One is a name my parents liked and the other is in honour of a deceased family member. I always quite liked having 2. It has never really caused me any problems. You can choose to drop one off forms if you wish (the last one usually gets knocked off anyway for most admin/form things). It’s not a big deal. In fact, my younger sister only got 1 middle name and she resents the fact that she didn’t get 2 as well.
Like I said, the second one gets dropped a lot. So, say, for arguments sake you liked the name [name]Ava[/name] [name]Charlotte[/name]. If you actually named her [name]Ava[/name] [name]Charlotte[/name] [name]Josephine[/name] she would, on most forms etc just be put down as [name]Ava[/name] [name]Charlotte[/name] anyway. So I don’t think the second middle name will detract too much or have a huge deal of impact except to the child themselves.
You might want to consider making at least one of the names fairly short, especially if the surname is longer than average. When debating between two equally nice names, perhaps go with the shorter one. Much of the time (like filling out patient forms at the dentist) dropping one of the names is not a problem, , but at times it is preferable or necessary to include the full name on official documents, family tree charts, etc. It can be frustrating if the name will not fit in the allotted space. [name]Even[/name] a couple of letters can make quite a difference in this regard.
I can see the hesitation, since two middle names does make a long full name, and because it’s not “standard,” at least in the U.S., so it can feel unneccessarily fussy and create problems in filling out forms.
On the other hand, though, it’s always nice to honor a family tradition, and this is one is great in that it’s really not limiting at all and offers some international appeal (as two middle names are common in other parts of the world). And the plus side is that you get to pick more names you love, possibly even making room for names that honor family, etc. Focus on the positive and have fun with it; if you like picking names and making name combos, this is an opportunity for even more naming creativity.
I’ve got no problem with two middle names, as long as their not 5 syllables each! Some people have one, some people have two, and some people have none! Typically I find that the middle names are most often a second first name and then the mother’s maiden name.
Thanks for all the input. I’m starting to feel more comfortable about two middle names, in a way. I’m alright with continuing the tradition with sons (and the suggestion about keeping the names fairly short is a good one). My hangup is with a daughter. I legally changed my maiden name to my middle name when I got married, so I’ve basically got two middle names. No telling what my daughter might do when she gets married, but that was what my mother did when she changed her name, so I followed suit and I guess that makes it a tradition. I don’t want my daugter to have 5 names when she gets married, that’s just way too much.
I have 2 middle names & it’s a pain in the tail to fill out any sort of forms. My first name is not the name I am called by so that doesn’t help any. And the others are right, my last middle name gets dropped all the time. However, I like all of my names. I would just really consider calling your kids by the FIRST name & not pick something from the middle. Everything is harder. Doctors, insurance claims, perscriptions. Best of luck & congrats!
1 more thing 
I also kept my maiden name due to family business reasons. So, I have 5 names also. However, I file everything under my husband’s last name & only use my maiden hyphened with his last for business.
Lol, I have FIVE middle names, and I love the look on people’s faces when I list them off! In my opinion, two middle names aren’t enough
I have two middle names (well a hyphenated middle name) [name]Marie[/name]-[name]Louise[/name] and it has never bothered me… my in laws think it’s weird but I’ve never thought twice about it - so I don’t think it will effect your little one in years to come.
I have two mns as well, and have never run into any problems with it. [name]Both[/name] of them are family names (one from each side), and I love having that connection to my relatives. Only the first middle is used on forms, and I haven’t had any confusion.
I have two middles too, one name-name and one last name, it’s never caused any confusion, and I just squeeze them into forms or put my initials, no big deal! I think using two middles is a cool idea too, as many have said, to link family names to the child. Use one you like and one family name, or two family names, or whatever!