middle name

English

Etymology

(name between first and last names): 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.

3. (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
• 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