It was with great sorrow I came across an old friend’s name in the death column of the local newspaper. This old schoolmate of mine had two kids and his lineage lives on. What does die is his remarkable middle name. I have a cracker of a Bette Middler myself but it comes nowhere close to this guy’s.
When his children were born we all tried valiantly for him to pass the name on to his kin; probably, his wife vetoed the idea. So the two kids were plainly called and had no distinguishing middle name. His children are now of adult age and his oldest recently had a son of his own. Only slightly acquainted with this young man, the last time I met him I urged him to resurrect his father’s flamboyant moniker.
No can do, he says, my father was the last of his kind; probably, the son’s wife has something to do with it. Now I wait with bated breath for the grandson to have a family.
Boadicea's Chariot 
Haven’t a clue what you are talking about. I do have a friend, Wally Rainbird! We are talking deepest darkest Wales. here!
Middle names, bah!
My children don’t have them, my wife doesn’t have one, I’m always the poor sucker last to leave the counter (be it passport control, home affairs, traffic department, post office etc.)
If there were sufficient christian names (not xian names by the way) I’d be happy to do away with surnames!
Yours Truly
Joe Blogs
😉
In the late 1700s early 1800s children were often given the mother’s surname as a middle name, and the name was then passed on for several generations – very useful if one is trying to trace a family that has married into a bunch of Smiths! On the other hand, it can be misleading since sometimes it can be just the name of a friend or patron.
I agree it’s a shame to see the names lost, but I do have some sympathy for children who are stuck with odd names – I knew someone who named his child after a football team – the whole lot!
We had a US Navy officer working at Brawdy who was called “Lt. American Horse”. It was on his ID card and always raised an eyebrow or two with the gate guards.
Hello everyone,
Mowcher and Sweedlepipe. Dickens knew a name when he seen one.
As I said I have an uncommon middle name and my wife refused me to pass it on to our children. When she was laid up in hospital post-birth, I was given responsibility to register the birth. Only great fear stopped me from inserting the hereditary title onto my child. Therefore, I am the last of my line…
My grandfather had a good 3 names Louis Octavius Augustus Then the surname which I will leave off.
Louis goes down through the family quite a way with the first grandson of the family so named. Luckily my mother said NO.
But she wanted me named after her father Manolli (she’s Greek) this was in the early 50’s we were nigh on the only foreigners around so my dad (English) said NO.
As the row continued my elder sister piped up (she was doing Richard the Lion heart at school) with “I like Richard” and so it was.
Since then we have traced our family line back and though I am the only Richard in the line now it is the prolific name of all in the family, and no one knew.
Sounds as though you had a lucky escape, Rick. My brother hasn’t forgiven me for piping ‘up … with “I like Richard”’ and lumbering him with three Christian names… 🙂
I hated my first name so much that at six years of age I decided to change it.