Hi, what’s your middle name?

On the first Friday of the first full week in March, we celebrate Middle Name Pride Day. This year, it falls on March 10.

When a baby is born, the parents or grandparents would give his/her a name. The choice of a middle name is usually meant to commemorate an elderly, dead family member or godparent.

Talking about the origin of the middle name, we don’t know the exact date when it first appeared, but some records showed that the upper classes were the ones who first used middle names.

In the Middle Ages, Europeans of loyal and noble birth usually had a given name, a baptismal name and a family name. The high birth often had a lot of names, for instance, the British throne James Francis Edward Stuart, and the full name for Queen Elizabeth II of England was Elizabeth Alexandra Mary.

In the 16th to 18th centuries, the immigrants took this naming trend to the United States. As time went on, the middle names have lost their religious precept.

Giving a child his/her middle name is a very meaningful process, both on their own and for the entire family.

On Middle Name Pride Day, it is not only an important moment for us to observe our deeper identity by knowing middle names, but we could also discover the different traditions regarding middle names around the world.

In some countries, middle names represent the mother’s maiden name. For others, it may be used to honor a relative or a close friend.

A person’s middle name reflects love and appreciation. We could use it to discover our roots and family traditions. You could reveal your middle name to at least three different people to start off this beautiful day.

If you don’t know what your middle name is, then use today to ask your parents and find out the significance behind it.