When a child is born, their parents take the time to carefully consider what name to give them. Parents debate over names and how their choice could affect their children during their lives. It’s certainly a big responsibility to give someone a name!
Will the name they pick cause schoolyard teasing or is it more likely to set them up for success? It is all in the hands of the parents. Sometimes, children think that the name they were given at birth is not quite what they would have liked if they had been allowed to choose for themselves. This may be especially true of those dreaded middle names.
But, on National Middle Name Pride Day, there is no reason to hide in the shadows! Each person can proudly share their middle name and let the love that their parents put into choosing it show.
History of National Middle Name Pride Day
The background of middle names comes with some interesting context. Historians do not know a firm date when middle names first appeared in English-speaking countries, but records indicate that the practice may have been used in higher class, wealthy families first. When it comes to those of royal and noble birth, it is known that the tradition was in effect at least as early as the 17th Century, by looking at the Stuart pretender, James Francis Edward Stuart.
In fact, at the time, it was common for those of high birth to have many names–sometimes several middle names. This is still the practice in modern royal families. For instance, Queen Elizabeth II of England was christened Elizabeth Alexandra Mary. And those are lovely middle names that she can be proud of!
Considering that different countries and cultures have varying traditions when it comes to the naming of children, it can be fun to use this day to get to know friends and co-workers better–by finding out their traditions around middle names.
The great thing is that this may reveal a lot more than just their middle names, but the traditions of cultures that are new and unique. In some countries, a middle name may be assigned as a reflection of the mother’s maiden name. In other cultures, the middle name is used as a sign of honor for a close relative or friend. Other people choose middle names because they simply like the sound of the name, the meaning or significance behind the name, or even the acronym that is created when the initials are spelled out!
thanks, Michele, Picture Coordinator
JOKE OF THE DAY thanks, Michele
yes, white squirrels DO exist
WORD OF THE DAY
blatteroon
Keep talking. I’m diagnosing you.
MEANING:noun: A babbler.
ETYMOLOGY:From Latin blaterare (to babble). Earliest documented use: 1647.
USAGE:“Watch your tongue, you blatteroon!”
Gavin Wood; Tales of the Jacobite Grenadiers; AuthorHouse; 2016.
Gavin Wood; Tales of the Jacobite Grenadiers; AuthorHouse; 2016.
are you up?
they DO rule