Editing Middle name (section)

==Usage in English==
Among royalty and aristocracy, middle names have been used since the late 17th century (and possibly earlier), as exemplified in the name of the Stuart pretender [[James Francis Edward Stuart]] (1688–1766). Despite their relatively long existence in North America, the term ''middle name'' was not recorded until 1835, in the periodical ''[[Harvardiana (magazine)|Harvardiana]]''.

Not every name that stands as the middle word in a three-name string is a middle name. Major classes of this theme are as follows:{{cn|date=September 2020}}
* When part of a [[given name#Compound|two-word given name]]: for example, ''Mary Anne'' and ''Jo Anne''. 
* When part of a two-word surname, that is, a [[surname#Compound surnames|compound surname]]: for example, [[David Lloyd George]] or [[Henry Bence Jones]], whose surnames are open compounds (that is, ''Bence'' is not his middle name; ''Bence Jones'' is his compound surname). 
* A [[maiden name]] expressed: for example, [[Hillary Clinton]] (''née'' Rodham) is sometimes known as ''Hillary Rodham Clinton''. 
* A [[patronymic]] in any of various Slavic languages, including Russian and [[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]], such as ''[[Nikita Khrushchev|Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev]]'', is not normally considered a middle name. Russian language and culture has certain norms for when someone is to be called by their given name plus patronymic versus a title plus the surname (for example, ''Nikita Sergeyevich'' versus ''Mr. Khrushchev''). The distinction is similar to the [[T–V distinction]]. See also [[eastern Slavic naming customs]]. 
* [[Canadian name|Traditional Québécois names]]: Traditionally, Roman Catholic Québécois, Franco-Ontarian, and Franco-Manitoban children were given three names, the first being Joseph or Marie, the second the godfather's or godmother's name, and the third the name chosen by the parents for the child. Examples include [[Jean Chrétien]] (Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien) and [[Gabrielle Roy]] (Marie Rose Emma Gabrielle Roy). Some children (especially those with English mothers) were given extra names that could serve as middle names in the anglophone tradition; for example, [[Pierre Elliott Trudeau]] (Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau). These traditions became less common after the [[Quiet Revolution]].

In the United States, the middle name is often [[abbreviated]] to the middle initial (e.g. Mary Lee Bianchi becomes Mary L. Bianchi).<ref>{{cite book |first=Michael Robert |last=Evans |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_T7pppOU7_MC&pg=PA258 |title=The Layers of Magazine Editing |publisher=Columbia University Press |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-231-12860-5 |page=258}}</ref> This is usually standard for [[signature]]s or omitted entirely in everyday use (e.g. just Mary Bianchi). An individual may have more than one middle name, or none. In the United Kingdom, for comparison, she would usually be referred to as either Mary Bianchi, M. L. Bianchi, or Mary Lee Bianchi, or she may choose Lee Bianchi, and informally there may be familiar shortenings.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}}

In countries that primarily speak English—such as [[Australia]], [[Canada]], [[Ireland]], [[New Zealand]], the [[United States]], and the [[United Kingdom]]—the forename of a relative is sometimes used as one's middle name to honor familial heritage.<ref name=genfiles>{{cite web |url=http://www.genfiles.com/articles/middle-names/ |title=The Use of Middle Names |first=Robert W. |last=Baird |work=Bob's Genealogy Filing Cabinet | date=November 13, 2013}}</ref> Typical examples are a father named John William Smith whose son is named Thomas John Smith or a grandmother named Mary Grace Tilley whose granddaughter is named Ashley Mary Smith. In many cases in the United States, however, a person's middle name does not derive from relatives, but is used instead to honor close family friends or notable public figures.<ref name=genfiles/> A rare case of an individual being given only an initial as a middle name, with the initial not explicitly standing for anything, was [[Harry S. Truman]]. (He once told reporters—apparently at odds with his own practice—that the S should thus not be followed by a period.)<ref>{{cite web |title=Use of the Period After the 'S' in Harry S. Truman's Name |url=https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/education/trivia/use-of-period-after-s-truman-name |publisher=Harry S. Truman Library & Museum |access-date=December 15, 2020}}</ref> Other people with single-letter middle names include [[Robert B. Hollander Jr.]] and [[Mark Davis (American football)|Mark M Davis]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Robert Hollander, towering scholar of Dante's 'Divine Comedy,' dies at 87 |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/robert-hollander-dead/2021/06/17/c514a38e-ced3-11eb-a7f1-52b8870bef7c_story.html |access-date=2022-12-15 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sapakoff |first=Gene |title=Sapakoff: Raiders owner Mark Davis talks 'Clemson West' and Citadel ties |url=https://www.postandcourier.com/sports/sapakoff-raiders-owner-mark-davis-talks-clemson-west-and-citadel-ties/article_4906976c-eae9-11ea-8d7a-6f8e4114abfe.html |access-date=2022-12-15 |website=Post and Courier |date=6 September 2020 |language=en}}</ref>

More than two given names are fairly common. In Britain, they are traditionally more common among the upper and middle classes.<ref>{{cite web|title=British Baby Names: Two middle names |url=http://nameberry.com/blog/british-baby-names-two-middle-names |first=Pamela |last=Redmond |work=Nameberry |date=January 21, 2013}}</ref>

There is a minor tradition in English-speaking countries whereby maiden names from the family tree that are especially celebrated by the family are carried into succeeding generations as middle names or as given names, whereas the tradition of [[married name]]s would otherwise obliterate them. For example, this is how the first name of [[Johns Hopkins]] came to have the terminal ''-s'' that differentiates it from ''John''; ''Johns'' was the surname of some of his ancestors. It is also how [[Robert McNamara|Robert Strange McNamara]] got his middle name (it was his mother's maiden name). There is some overlap between open-compound surnames and maiden-names-as-middle-names; in various cases the same motivation (preserving maiden names from oblivion) has produced both such kinds of names, and there are instances from the nineteenth century that are ambiguous today as to how the bearers of a name thus inspired parsed it themselves (either as part of a compound surname or as a middle name). 

The abbreviation "N.M.N." (no middle name) or "N.M.I." (no middle initial), with or without periods, is sometimes used in formal documents in the United States, where a middle initial or name is expected but the person does not have one. Rarely a person may adopt a middle initial to overcome the problems imposed by systems whose design failed to properly handle the absence of one, or to ensure uniqueness. For example, screenwriter [[David X. Cohen]] was born David Samuel Cohen, but adopted the middle initial "X" when he joined the [[Writers Guild of America]], as there was already a member named David S. Cohen, and the union forbid multiple writers from using the same name.<ref>{{cite news|url = https://archive.nerdist.com/secret-science-nerds-david-x-cohen-brings-academia-to-animation/|title = Secret Science Nerds: David X. Cohen Brings Academy to Animation|date = November 10, 2016|last = Trumbore|first = Dave|work = [[Nerdist]]|accessdate = November 15, 2023}}</ref>

A middle name that is rather unusual among English speakers is that of [[Jennifer 8. Lee]], an American author. Lee was not given a middle name at birth so she chose "8" when she was a teenager,<!-- The references for this fact are cited in her article, which see, if you need them.--> in a nod to her Chinese ancestry; in Chinese culture, the number eight symbolizes prosperity and good luck. 

=== Middle name as primary forename ===
In England and the United States, some who choose to be known primarily by their middle name abbreviate their first name as an [[initial]], e.g. [[J. Edgar Hoover|J(ohn) Edgar Hoover]], [[J. Paul Getty|J(ohn) Paul Getty]], [[J. Robert Oppenheimer|J(ulius) Robert Oppenheimer]] and [[F. Scott Fitzgerald|F(rancis) Scott (Key) Fitzgerald]]. <!-- Add a female example of this naming style? -->

Others simply omit the first name in regular usage, treating their middle name like a first name, e.g. [[Woodrow Wilson|(Thomas) Woodrow Wilson]]. Many politicians use their middle name or its shortened version as a first name—for example, [[Mitch McConnell|(Addison) Mitch(ell) McConnell]], [[Mitt Romney|(Willard) Mitt Romney]], [[Jon Ossoff|(Thomas) Jon(athan) Ossoff]], [[Jon Tester|(Raymond) Jon Tester]], [[Ted Cruz|(Rafael Edward) Ted Cruz]] and [[Mike Rounds|(Marion Michael) Mike Rounds]] are all U.S. senators who use their middle names as first names. In the U.K., many politicians, including several prime ministers, have been known primarily by their middle name, or one of their middle names. The ten prime ministers to have done so are [[Bonar Law|(Andrew) Bonar Law]], [[Ramsay MacDonald|(James) Ramsay MacDonald]], [[Neville Chamberlain|(Arthur) Neville Chamberlain]], [[Anthony Eden|(Robert) Anthony Eden]], [[Harold Macmillan|(Maurice) Harold Macmillan]], [[Harold Wilson|(James) Harold Wilson]], [[James Callaghan|(Leonard) James Callaghan]], [[Gordon Brown|(James) Gordon Brown]], [[Boris Johnson|(Alexander) Boris (de Pfeffel) Johnson]], and [[Liz Truss|(Mary Elizabeth) Liz Truss]].