Choosing A Middle Name for Your Baby

What many parents seem to forget when naming a child is that they also must choose a middle name for their babies. This is a very important step in the process in which a child is named. A middle name not only adds to the personal identity of a person but it also gives them another term that people can refer to them as. This is highly useful when a person finds he or she has the same first name as someone else, as the middle name will almost assuredly be different. This article should help guide new parents into choosing the best middle name for their newborn child!

To start out with, middle names can be the same as a father or mother's name. While it is usually not a good idea to name a child the second in line of a name his or her father or mother had, it is a completely different story with middle names. Many cultures and religions only have middle names in which the parent's name is used, so it is quite common to see this happen. This middle name, however, is not the best choice and should only be used if it is tradition or if there are really no better options available.

Another way of choosing a middle name is by finding a close friend or relative and giving the child their first name as a middle name. Many times parents will use the godparent's name as the middle name. It also makes sense to honor someone who has helped parents face and overcome struggles in life by naming a child, at least partially, after this person. And of course, if a close one has passed away recently then their first name is a good candidate for a middle name as well.

For parents who want to name their child something extravagant or weird, like 'Strawberry' or 'Jelly,' it is harmful and a bad decision to do so with the first name. But, again, this unorthodox name can be used as a middle name. For starters, no one close to the child really has to know or refer to them by their middle name most of the time, making an embarrassing choice okay in this regard. And if a parent is just dead-set on using a weird name, than it is of course better to use it as a middle name than a first name which identifies a child for life.

Naming a child, first or middle, is a long process in which two parents, usually, debate amongst each other and swap ideas. Each name should be carefully thought out and planned for because a child is going to have to, unless he or she changes their name, live with these names for the rest of their lives. The middle name is an important addition to any person's name and should not be pushed aside until the very end. It should get just as much consideration as the first name. And parents remember, the middle name is the one that you can have fun with!