Middle name

A middle name is a component of a personal name that in Western naming order is written between a person's forename and surname. Together, the fore- and middle names form a person's given names. Usage of middle names varies between different cultural and linguistic groups. The origins of middle names can be traced to Roman times, and the use of middle names re-emerged in Italy in the 13th century.

Origins

In ancient Rome, aristocratic male Romans used a naming system called tria nomina, which included three distinct parts to the name: a praenomen (personal name), nomen (family name), and cognomen. As the nomen was placed in the middle, it had a different usage compared to how middle names are used now.

The use of middle names re-emerged in Italy in the 13th century and by the late 1400s, it was common for upper-class families in Italy to use middle names, with this later spreading to other social classes. This trend caught on across Europe, particularly for people from wealthy families. In Germany, middle names had become commonly used by the 17th century, with German immigrants being noted as bringing this custom to North America. In the first decade of the 19th century in France most boys did not have a middle name, but by the last decade of the century 46% of boys had one middle name and 23% of boys had two middle names.