middle name

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Etymology 1

First recorded from Harvardiana in 1835.

Noun

middle name (plural middle names)

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.

2. (figuratively) a trait, activity, or action closely associated with or aptly describing a person

   Think twice about playing for cash because "Poker" is her middle name.

   I won't tell anyone. "Discretion" is my middle name.

Etymology 2

From the adaptation of Filipino full names from former Spanish naming customs to the US naming custom of given name first, then the mother's surname before marriage, then the father's surname.

Noun

middle name (plural middle names)

1. (Philippines) one's mother's maiden name

Translations

name between given name and surname

• Catalan: segon prenom m, nom del mig m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 中間名字 / 中间名字 (zhōngjiān míngzi)

• Czech: prostřední jméno n, druhé jméno n
• Faroese: millumnavn n
• Finnish: toinen nimi, välinimi
• French: deuxième prénom m, patronyme (fr) m (patronymic)
• Georgian: მეორე სახელი (meore saxeli)
• German: zweiter Vorname m, Zwischenname (de) m, Zweitname m, Mittelname m
• Icelandic: millinafn (is) n
• Irish: lárainm m, dara hainm m
• Japanese: ミドルネーム (midoru nēmu)
• Macedonian: сре́дно и́ме n (srédno íme)
• Portuguese: nome do meio (pt) m
• Russian: второ́е и́мя n (vtoróje ímja), сре́днее и́мя n (srédneje ímja) (not used in Russia, patronymics are used instead, foreign context), о́тчество (ru) n (ótčestvo) (patronymic)
• Slovak: druhé meno n
• Spanish: segundo nombre m
• Swedish: andranamn (sv) n
• Tagalog: gitnang pangalan, gitnang apelyido
• Vietnamese: tên đệm, tên lót

figuratively a trait, activity, or action closely associated with or aptly describing a person

• Finnish: toinen nimi
• Spanish: apellido (es) m, segundo nombre m, apodo (es) m

See also

• personal name
• first name
• last name
• danger is one's middle name
• is my middle name
• NMN