Dictionary

middle name en · NOUN · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (US) audio

Etymology

First recorded from Harvardiana in 1835.

Meanings

1. A name between the first given name and the family name or surname; a second or subsequent given name.
   • I go by David but it's my middle name; my full name is William David Mason.
   • María is a common middle name in Spanish, as in José María García.
2. (figuratively) A trait, activity, or action closely associated with or aptly describing a person.
   • I won't tell anyone. "Discretion" is my middle name.
   • Re-elect Mayor Goldie Wilson! Progress is his middle name! 1985, Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale, Back to the Future:
   • Think twice about playing for cash because "Poker" is her middle name.
   • Oddly enough, it had never yet occurred to her to wonder what other women made of Peter, or he of them. This must argue either very great confidence or very great indifference on her part; for, when one came to think of it, eligibility was his middle name. 1935, Dorothy L. Sayers, Gaudy Night:

Forms

Deriveds

is my middle name · NMN · danger is one's middle name · middle-nameless

Translations (38)

de Mittelname (name between given name and surname) · ca segon prenom (name between given name and surname) · cmn 中間名字 /中间名字 (name between given name and surname) · pl drugie imię (name between given name and surname) · ka მეორე სახელი (name between given name and surname) · ru сре́днее и́мя (name between given name and surname) · ru второ́е и́мя (name between given name and surname) · de zweiter Vorname (name between given name and surname) · sv andranamn (name between given name and surname) · sk druhé meno (name between given name and surname) · fi välinimi (name between given name and surname) · mk сре́дно и́ме (name between given name and surname) · es apellido (figuratively a trait, activity, or action closely associated with or aptly describing a person) · pl drugie imię (figuratively a trait, activity, or action closely associated with or aptly describing a person) · tl gitnang pangalan (name between given name and surname) · fi toinen nimi (figuratively a trait, activity, or action closely associated with or aptly describing a person) · fi toinen nimi (name between given name and surname) · fr patronyme (name between given name and surname) · es segundo nombre (figuratively a trait, activity, or action closely associated with or aptly describing a person) · vi tên đệm (name between given name and surname) · pt nome do meio (name between given name and surname) · vi tên lót (name between given name and surname) · tl gitnang apelyido (name between given name and surname) · fr deuxième prénom (name between given name and surname) · de Zwischenname (name between given name and surname) · ru о́тчество (name between given name and surname) · es segundo nombre (name between given name and surname) · cs druhé jméno (name between given name and surname) · ko 미들네임 (name between given name and surname) · ga lárainm (name between given name and surname) · ca nom del mig (name between given name and surname) · de Zweitname (name between given name and surname) · ga dara hainm (name between given name and surname) · fo millumnavn (name between given name and surname) · ja ミドルネーム (name between given name and surname) · cs prostřední jméno (name between given name and surname) · es apodo (figuratively a trait, activity, or action closely associated with or aptly describing a person) · is millinafn (name between given name and surname)

middle name en · NOUN · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• (US) audio

Etymology

Historically in the Spanish colonial era of the Philippines, the Spanish naming customs traditionally displayed the full name as: : first name + second name + father's surname + Spanish y (“and”) + mother's surname During the US colonial era of the Philippines, the US naming custom took effect where the mother's maiden name is used as a middle + name, which displayed the full name as: : first name + second name + middle name (“mother's surname before marriage”) + last name (“father's surname”)

Meanings

1. (Philippines) One's mother's maiden name.
   • Juan Rico Martinez dela Cruz III is my full name, where Martinez is my middle name, but people just call me "JR".
   • Maria Clara Teresita Reyes dela Cruz is my full name, where Reyes is my middle name, but you can call me Tessie or Tess.

Forms

Relateds

personal name · first name · last name

wikipedia: History of the Philippines (1898–1946) · wikipedia: Maiden and married_names · wikipedia: History of the Philippines (1565–1898) · wikipedia: Spanish naming customs