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Most people have one middle name, but some people have two or three and some people don't have any. Is there a law that says the maximum number of middle names you can give a kid? Because the most I've ever seen is three, and I'm pretty certain there are some strange people who would give their kids about ten if they were allowed to. So pretty much, is there a maximum middle name law amywhere that you know of?
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I heard once, but cannot verify, that a football fan was so overjoyed when his team - either Brazil or Argentina, I think - won the World Cup that he decided to name his as yet unborn baby after the entire team; eleven names, therefore. But the child was a girl, so she got all eleven names plus the first name of Maria as a concession to femininity.
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I have heard of football fans giving their children the names of the 1966 World Cup winning team as middle names. I'm sure one case I heard of was a girl as well!
So I don't think there is a limit but most people stop at two middle names.
So I don't think there is a limit but most people stop at two middle names.
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I don't think there are any laws in the USA or UK limiting the number of middle names, though there would be practical limits on how many would physically fit on an official birth certificate.
There have been several instances over the years where parents have given children 26 names, one starting with each letter of the alphabet, which means 25 middle names.
Personally I think this is one of the eccentric things parents might do with names which children need the LEAST "protecting" from. It's not like there is any reason to have to write out all of one's middle names, if one has more than one, in any normal life situation. I do not see how having 25 or even more middle names could really harm a child.
There have been several instances over the years where parents have given children 26 names, one starting with each letter of the alphabet, which means 25 middle names.
Personally I think this is one of the eccentric things parents might do with names which children need the LEAST "protecting" from. It's not like there is any reason to have to write out all of one's middle names, if one has more than one, in any normal life situation. I do not see how having 25 or even more middle names could really harm a child.
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I'm in Australia and I don't believe there are laws here restricting the number of middle names. I have two middle names and actually insist on using both on forms. ;) You're right though, most places will just use the first.
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Actually, I have been in a lot of bureaucratic situations in my life (I'm only 21) which required me to write down all of my names. Fortunately I got only one middle name but I think it must be quite annoying to write down 25 of them...
This message was edited 5/3/2009, 8:24 AM
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I really doubt if most bureaucrats would WANT anyone who had 25 middle names to write them all out.
Most government data is computerized these days and there is only going to be a set amount of space for characters for middle names, and anything over that amount will just get cut off. :)
Most government data is computerized these days and there is only going to be a set amount of space for characters for middle names, and anything over that amount will just get cut off. :)
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Not american, and not middle names, but I know that a Madhabhushi Venkata Narasimha Sesha Pundarikaksha Madhava Ravikumar was allowed to use initials in many places which demand `full names', so I do not think a longer name would have been much of a problem either.
Incidentally, we often called him A-to-Z (that is zed in India), even though his name actually does not contain all the letters. (And I may have got the spelling wrong: I remember it was 61 long, letters not counting spaces).
Incidentally, we often called him A-to-Z (that is zed in India), even though his name actually does not contain all the letters. (And I may have got the spelling wrong: I remember it was 61 long, letters not counting spaces).
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This happens to a friend of mine whose parents were German; she has at least five names (four middle ones) but goes by the middle one! And banks can't cope unless she leaves out a few.
The name she goes by is the shortest of the lot, btw: Heidi. The others include Dorotea and Elisabeth, but I can't remember them all since they are never used.
The name she goes by is the shortest of the lot, btw: Heidi. The others include Dorotea and Elisabeth, but I can't remember them all since they are never used.
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Germany: There is no maximum number of MNs by general law, but a court can limit the number to protect a child. This has happened when a mother wanted to use 11 MNs but was only allowed 4. Personally I have met only one person with 3 MNs, none with 4, some (usually traditional catholics) with 2, a lot with 1 and a lot with no middle name.
source: wikipedia.de
source: wikipedia.de
This message was edited 5/2/2009, 11:58 PM
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There isn't a maximum that I'm aware of. I think most laws are more concerned over names being inappropriate, though from what I've read the U.S. seems pretty relaxed with made-up names.
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In Croatia by law a child can be given a maximum of two middle names. Personally, I've never seen it in real life, since most people don't have a middle name or rarely only one middle name.
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The only thing I can say about that for names in the Netherlands, is that the name shouldn't be 'ridiculous'. The person from the government who registers the birth of a child, can refuse a name if it is a 'ridiculous' name. This also means that he/she could refuse a name because there are a ridiculous amount of middle names. This only means that parents can't go giving their kid a limitless amount of MNs, but there is no fixed number.
btw: The most MNs I've seen on a person (except royalty) is 4.
btw: The most MNs I've seen on a person (except royalty) is 4.
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