What is your middle name? Does it carry any special meaning/significance?
Some Western and Asian countries are accustomed to giving new-born babies two names, i.e. a first name and a middle name for various reasons.
Traditional names are highly favoured for middle names, with many chosen to honour a beloved, departed relative. In Russia, both boys and girls are given middle names based on their father’s first name. In some countries like Chile, first names are legislated to be of Christian origin. Most girls are named Maria after the Virgin Mary, so the middle name, which is a composite first name, is used in practice for differentiation.
Middle names are virtually unheard of in China. It is not in Chinese tradition to give new-born babies more than one name. Chinese parents do not name their children after someone but pick any word from the dictionary, such as a word to signify beauty, a word to promote wealth/health, and a word to describe character. The names chosen often indicate parental expectations on how children’s future are developed.
A person’s name is his or her identity and, in my view, should be like fingerprint unique to every individual. In Western countries, there are hundreds of thousands of David, John, Peter etc, a middle name may help differentiate one from a common name.
I do not have a middle name, but I have a first name that carries the meaning of giving thanks to God—one that is identifiable from others.
✨✨💖 ~
en yan hua fang 