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middle name

middle name

62 1.8
A name that comes between a person's first name and last name
  • noun
  • /ˈmɪdəl neɪm/
translation icon : segundo nombre
  • What is your daughter's middle name, Mrs. MacNeil?

And then my middle name is from my grandmother.

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Examples

  • What's your middle name? - Ivan.

  • Her middle name is Ellen, which she shares with her grandmother.

  • Okay, could I say I know her full name, her middle name?

  • - It's my middle name.

  • In the Banks family, the boys were referred to by their middle names unless they were in big trouble.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Her middle name is Ellen.

  • And then his middle name, Leo, he actually got because Fraser chose it.

  • Harriet was my sister's name, and unlike my two brothers and me, she had no middle name.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Her name is Ella and little known fact her middle name is Menopi.

  • During introductions, please remember to include your middle name.

Surface Forms

middle name singular
middle names plural

Morphology

middle + name

The meaning 'a name that comes between the first name and surname' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'middle' (in the centre/between) with 'name' (an identifier). This is a straightforward noun compound following common compositional patterns and has clear equivalents in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will understand it.

Etymology

Middle name comes from the simple idea of a name placed in the middle of a person's full name. People often gave this extra name to 'show family links' or to 'tell people apart', so today a middle name still helps make a name different or show a family connection.