Where do middle names come from and why do we have them?
by 
Macy Havok
ANSWERS: 4
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Middle names were first introduced by German nobility in the fifteenth century, but did not become common until the seventeen hundreds. A middle name was not common in the United States until after the Revolutionary War. The tradition then was to use the mother's maiden name as the middle name. (Knowing this may be a good first clue when tracing your ancestry around this period. However, nothing is ever always absolute). I'm not sure why they originated, though.
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not sure, but i'm korean and my korean name is actually my middle name -
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I'm no expert, but I would assume it is just to distinguish one person from another - particularly when children are named after their parents. i.e. John William Smith has a son who they also name John, therefore he gets a different second name....otherwise the kid would have to have Jr. stuck on the end for the rest of his life! My husband (John) grew up in a small town, with his sister Jan & his mother Jean, and his grandparents John & Jane. Thank heavens for second names!
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Interesting question - I actually have no middle name, although I thought I did and used one for years until someone at the Social Security Office corrected me when I went in to get a duplicate card. Legally, on my birth certificate, I have only a first and last name. (My mom says they couldn't decide, so they didn't put anything.) However, on a lot of official documents, they put "NMI" in the spot. It stands for "No Middle Initial."
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