In the west, especially in Anglo-Saxon countries, it is a widespread practice to give children two names, which together with the last name form the person's full initials.
The main one is considered to be what is indicated first and called "first name", and the additional second, which is called the middle - "middle name" and is usually represented in full names by an initial letter, for example Charles Harold Jones in writing looks like Charles H. Jones.
Reasons for the appearance
The custom of giving newborns a double name arose relatively recently, since until the 18th century people were limited to one personal anthroponym and surname. This is evidenced by the church annals, where marriages, birthdays and deaths of the British were recorded.
Many see the origin of this tradition in religion. After the adoption of Christianity, it was customary to call babies according to the church calendar, that is, the names of those saints on the day of whose celebration they were born. In this regard, two problems arose at once: First, the parents practically lost the ability to freely choose a name for the child, since it could happen that only one saint's name day was celebrated on the date of birth of the child, and the family did not like his name. Secondly, the list of church anthroponyms was very limited, which is why there was a large number of people in society with the same first and last names, which caused confusion.
A way out of the situation was found thanks to the appearance of a middle name that met the aspirations of the parents and served as a sign of individual distinction. In addition, the church did not forbid naming newborns by several names. On the contrary, from a certain time it began to be considered a good sign, since the new anthroponym added another heavenly patron and protector to the child. By the way, there was a period when clergy had to pay tax for each middle name, so they had a direct interest in spreading this tradition.
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Number of middle names
In this regard, there were no restrictions on the number of middle names, as, incidentally, there is none in modern English legislation. Although there is an unspoken rule in society for the use of no more than four such anthroponyms, there are still those who do not limit the flight of their imagination. These include the parents of football player Charlie Otway, whose middle name consists of the names of 11 Queens Park Rangers soccer players: Anthony Philip David Terry Frank Donald Stanley Jerry Gordon Stephen James.
Order of naming
Today, few people follow the order of naming a child, although in the past they adhered to a certain standard. Proceeding from it, an unusual, original name was often chosen as the first anthroponym of a girl, and a traditional one, which she could use at a conscious age, if the fantasy version of her parents did not suit her. For boys, everything happened exactly the opposite, that is, they had a classic first name, and on average liberties were allowed.
In honor of whom they called
At first, traditional names were used as a middle name, often the anthroponyms of older family members, for example, a father or grandfather for a son and a mother, or a grandmother for a girl, played their role.
Then it became possible, as an option for the middle name, to use the surname, and not only relatives, but historical figures and celebrities from different areas of life. So in Scotland, the tradition turned out to be a tenacious one, when giving a middle name to refer to the mother's maiden name, and in the USA to the initials of prominent political figures.
In our time, a middle name can be a geographical toponym, the name of an animal, a car brand, a company name and, in principle, any common noun that parents like.
There are frequent cases when in everyday life the middle name completely supplants the first name, which continues to exist only in official papers. And sometimes the owner likes the middle name so much that it turns into his last name.
Swedish tradition
In Sweden, the opposite picture is observed, since a person can acquire a middle name after marriage, when a husband and wife write each other's last names as middle names. In turn, children use the generic surnames of both parents: they take one as a surname, and the other as a middle name, having the ability to change their places at any period of life.
Ashkhen Avanesova