I think quite unusually for someone of my background, I don’t actually have a middle name. Throughout my life I’ve had mixed feelings about this. There has often been a sense of being left out, as other people have nice middle names, or go by their middle names. I’ve never really had this option. But then there is something quite fun about having the initials ‘HM’, for ‘Her Majesty’. I’ve been tempted at points to give myself my own middle name, but the pressure to choose something I would always like was too much. I think having the opportunity to name my children will probably adequately scratch this particular itch. I may at some point change my mind, but for now I’m content with just two names.
To answer the second part of the question, I don’t think there is any particular significance to my lack of a middle name. I have three siblings, and none of them have middle names either, so clearly my parents just saved themselves some time and didn’t worry about middle names. Given that there ended up being three of us girls, of which I am the third, it is probably a good thing that my older sisters didn’t have middle names, or I’d have ended up with my parents fifth and sixth favourite choices!
One amusing incident related to names is when my mother and I were filling out entry forms for school, and were faced with the box ‘Middle Name’. We thought to put ‘None’, but then laughingly worried that they might think that was my name. Then what would happen, but I turn up at school and meet a girl name Nonnie! How close a shave that might have been.
How would you answer this prompt? I’d love to hear the stories behind your middle names – or lack thereof! Now I have a child of my own, I have chosen to give them a middle name, so even though I don’t really care about them for myself, clearly they still carry some significance for me. Please do share your thoughts in a comment!
The Feminist Gadabout 