MIDDLE NAME GUIDE

[ame]

Hi

Can anyone help? When a surname is used as a middle name is there a reason for this in Scotland?

Ame

[winslowsmom]

Hello Ame
Yes, there is a rich tradition of following naming patterns in Scotland, especially in past centuries and into the first part of the 20th century.

Usually it is first son after the husband's father, second son after the wife's father. First daughter after the wife's mother, second daughter after the husband's mother.
To answer your question, this more often than not includes the whole name. For example, my granny was named after her granny, Janet Jeffery. So she wasn't just named Janet. She was named Janet Jeffery McDonald. When naming the girls, the middle surname might be unfamiliar to you because it is usually the maiden surname, not the mother's mother's married name.
So you are getting a lot of good hints with these last names as middle names.
If you have a family from long ago in Scotland you can pretty well figure out for certain the names of the first several children. Then later kids are often named after brothers and sisters in law, even employers.
If you search this site for "naming patterns" I think you will find several threads where this was discussed thoroughly, and
probably more clearly.

Best of luck Ame, let us know what names you are looking at, you never know who you might run into!

Cathy H

[SarahND]

Hi Ame,
Also, if the child was illegitimate, the middle name was often the surname of the father.
Regards,
Sarah

[ame]

Hi Ame,
Also, if the child was illegitimate, the middle name was often the surname of the father.
Regards,
Sarah

Hi Sarah

Thank you for your very useful information.

Best wishes
Ame

[alex19canteen]

I think it may be a traditional thing Ame, I have my maternal Grandfathers' surname as my middle name. My brothers' middle name is my GrGrGrGr Grandfathers' from the early 1800's and my eldest brothers middle name is from Lt.-Col. Robert Knox Trotter for whom my family worked in the 1840's.

All unknown to us prior to doing the research, they were just kept going without any regard to their origin.

Alex

[ame]

Hi Alex

Thank you for replying. Thank you for such a good example of the use of surnames as middle names. I would be so proud if the tradition had carried on in my family as it has in yours.

I enjoy tracing my family roots and learning such a lot at the same time.


Many thanks
Ame

[emanday]

Hi Ame,

In one line of my ancestry, where a middle name has usually been given, the majority of the boys were given an ancestor's first name as a middle name while the majority of the girls were usually given the ancestor's surname as a middle name, but still usually following the traditional Scottish pattern.

This has continued even to my brother, sister and myself!

The origins for this distinction between male and female children's middle names in that one line totally escapes me!

[StewL]

Ame
Another naming variation in my lot is the use of the female lines maiden names, myself , First name mothers maiden name, second name maternal grandmothers maiden name, third name paternal great grandmothers maiden name. My sister has our mothers maiden name as her second name. An old school pal of mine had his mothers maiden name as his second name too. So there was a bit of variation in the patterns.
As has been said it can be very usefull in matching lang deid yins when they repeat given names, that are maiden names. Just one of my fathers lot I have to work out where his middle name came from

[emanday]

Have to admit Stewie, there are a couple of "surname" middle names that I've yet to trace to ancestors or their spouses

I live in hope

[StewL]

Hi Mary
I know what you mean. I gave up holding my breath, while I like blue, it isnt a good colour on your face I had a Valentine in my aunts name, it turned out to be Ballantine, after her grandfathers second wifes maiden name So those middle names can come from the oddest of origins.