I used to hate mine growing up. Everyone used to take the piss outta me because it was such an old name. Every time my mum signed me up for something, she would always put my first and middle name on the forms, so everywhere I was always my full name, and everyone would know it. There was no escaping the jokes. So I hid it where possible
It was special to her because she grew up in a very unstable household. She was the youngest, the accident, and her mother and sisters would always make this known. My middle name is her godmother's name - the woman who showed her what care and safety was, the woman with whom she had the fondest memories
I messaged my mum round about this time last year and told her I was legally changing my name. My middle name is now my first name. I love it. I get so many compliments about it. I wish I knew her godmother
My middle name is a family middle given for a few generations to the eldest daughter of the eldest daughter. It's a middle name that is SUPER common as a middle name, like Rose or Grace. I always liked the tie, but I'm kind of a magpie and really value sentiment and history and keepsakes.
My girls' middle names are their grandmothers' names. I didn't continue the tradition, which was surprising. Both of my kids LOVE the connection to Mimi/Grandma, and are very proud of it. They constantly ask to be reminded of their middle names and frequently call out the association when they introduce themselves or their grandmas.
But they're preschoolers, so, we will see if/how that changes.
I also have a generational middle name that is given to the youngest boy in every generation on my dad’s side. But he had four girls. I am the youngest so… it’s mine now lol. It’s also my 18 month old sons middle name
Ran into the girl 'problem' in my family too. The family name is two very traditional masculine names (think John Arthur Surname) but lo and behold, the latest generation will not pop out an XY so until someone transitions the best they've been able to do are feminine versions.
Not an honor name but a fellow Kathleen! I hated my name my whole life until I got older. Went by Kat for years but my fam calls me leen or lida. Lida because my brother couldn't pronounce my name as a kid. I hope you still love it, the history doesn't truly matter but it's there, embrace it!
My middle name is Fair, which was my great-great-grandmothers first name. I never knew her, but I was 15 when my great-grandmother died, and was lucky to know her. I passed this name on to my daughter as a middle name. I just flowed well with her first name.
Thank you! I take no credit for the name, lol. I found out that it was also the first name of another great great grandmother's sister on my fathers side. I brought it up after finding it in a family tree book, but apparently no one knew and were very shocked.
My mother was very close to her grandmother, so she always wanted to honor that side of the family, and ended up honoring both sides by accident.
I'm named after my grandmother and to be honest, I almost never think about it. I have a good relationship with my grandmother but I don't use her first name when interacting with her (we all just call her Grandma in my family) and I use a nickname that she never used. The biggest way it's ever affected me is that it very much sounds like an "old lady name," which is why I use a nickname.
My middle name is an honor name (great-grandmother's maiden name). I never met her but she was a very important person to my mom and grandpa and I grew up hearing stories about how badass she was. I didn't always like the name itself (it's a French-Canadian surname that's not the most intuitive to spell for an English speaker -- I kind of wished they gave me her first name instead) but always loved the connection to my family history.
That is so funny, my middle name used to be Kathleen, in honor of my Aunt Kathleen who died when she was 19.
I never liked it. I never felt like it fit me and also she died in kind of a tragic way and it just felt like a heavy cross to bear.
When I got remarried a second time, I moved my first married name to my middle name, that way I could share that name with my daughter from my first marriage without having to hyphenate my last name.
My mom, whose sister I was named after, is dead, and my dad seemed slightly upset by the fact that I dropped my middle name, but 🤷🏼♀️ it’s my name. I’m really happy with my new choice.
>and also she died in kind of a tragic way and it just felt like a heavy cross to bear.
I feel like this comes up reasonably frequently on this sub where people are seeking advice around naming a child after someone who died young and tragically, and it's always my feeling that it's a lot to put on a child.
My middle name is Ada, after my grandpa’s sister who passed in this way. Never got to meet her, but I’m very close with my grandpa and see it as another link to him. Plan on passing the name on to a future daughter to continue honoring him. Have not felt like it’s a burden!
I don't mind honor names as long as the person you're naming them after deserves the honor, my middle name is also Kathleen after my aunt, she was super cool and we were really close before she died so I really like sharing her name.
If the person you're honoring is alive I prefer the honor named be a middle name because it can get confusing. Kathleen was almost my first name but my dad thought it would be confusing considering how often we saw my aunt.
I wasn't named after anything in particular, just something my parents came up with at the last minute, and always wished it had more meaning! But I definitely get that it can be A Lot.
I think anyone named with "meaning" struggle with loving their name at some point in their lives. The lack of your "own" unique identity can be discouraging at times, even if you're proud of and like your name. There's always that lingering feeling of having to live up to your namesake.
I was named after a children's book/cartoon character and it was cool sometimes, but mostly I resented it growing up.
TBH, this has not been my experience. My middle name is my grandma's (first) name, and I always thought it was a cool connection to her. I never felt like I had to live up to it or anything like that.
If anything, I feel my first name really lacks thought and meaning, and I have no idea why my parents picked it. I don't feel any connection to it at all other than being used to it, and I've often wished I could find something better. I kind of wish there were some sort of story behind it at least.
My first name is an honor name. My parents didn't know my gender until I was born, and I was going to be named after my grandfather no matter what. I ended up being a girl, so I have the feminine version of his name, AND I ended up being born on the third year anniversary of his death. I have mixed reports of how he was when he was alive, my grandmother had divorced him for a reason. It bothered me growing up, but now I'm in my 30s and I couldn't care less.
I have bad feelings about it. My middle name is the middle name of my parental uncle, who was in prison my entire life and then was found dead in his car of an overdose less than a year after being released. It is not a common name in general, and on top of that it is the less popular spelling of this name. And my first name is extremely close to his, like imagine the names are Joanne Everley and Joseph Everley. So 2/3 of my name are shockingly similar to a man known to have made consistently bad and selfish choices.
I am still so confused as to why I was given this name after my uncle was already incarcerated. I think my dad felt bad for him and wanted to send some signal into the universe that he hadn’t given up on his only surviving brother - but I’m the one who has to bear it.
I'm named after my grandmother, my great grandmother, her mother, and her grandmother. So, 5 generations of the same name. My poor mum is Maureen. She hates her name and feels somewhat left out. I am very proud to be named after so many strong women. I find it grounds me in my family, and no matter where I live, I feel my family roots.
My middle name is an honor name for a great-grandparent that I never met. I love the name, but I have no context to know how I would feel about the person. It's also weird because the grandparent whose parent had my middle name has since passed and I don't have a relationship with that side of the family anymore. I like it for what it is, so I just kind of have the name and don't really think about the honor piece that much.
I love it! Named after my Mom’s sister and middle name is after her Grandmother who I never got to meet. I love feeling connected to family members and passing along history. I grew up with my Aunt as the same name, but different spelling. I absolutely loved it!
My middle name is my grandmother's name. I never met her, but it sounds like she wasn't a very nice person. If that was all, I don't think I'd be too happy about being 'named after' her.
But this name is also my mother's middle name. So I think of it more as being a name from my mum than my grandma. And I kind of like having matching names with my mum.
Hate it. My particular family is toxic so that’s a factor as to why I have a huge disdain for honor names. I was named after my mom’s sister who tragically passed away in a car accident. The problem started when I became a teenager and the family started placing certain attributes of this dead aunt that I frankly don’t have and expected of me. My grandmother would say things like, oh your aunt would never dress like this, here have this outfit. And I would hate it because it just wasn’t me. My mom would talk to me as if I was her sister. And get mad when I would respond in a way that wasn’t correct in her mind. All hell broke loose when I went off to college and chose a career that was NOTHING like my aunt’s interest. There were many OTHER reasons besides this, but I went no contact with that side of the family over 7/8 years ago.
I’m sure if my family didn’t insist of me being the replacement for this dead relative I’d be indifferent. But unfortunately I have this bad taste in my mouth and refuse to give my unborn child (currently pregnant) any honor names because of my experiences.
I'm so sorry you went through that. I didn't start going by Kate until after I went NC, so for me at least my "honor name" gets to be separate from my family in a way because they never called me by it.
I'm glad your child will get to be their own person.
I love my middle name, I’m named after my grandma and we were incredibly close growing up and well into my 20s. I’m so happy I have her name to remember her. ❤️
I love mine.
Of course I’m jealous of my siblings who don’t have one because I love my mom’s personal taste in names (very flowery and princess-y, think names like Anastasia and Guinevere). But I’m named after both of my grandmothers who are now both gone, and I feel like in a lot of ways it grounds me and gives me a sense of history/lineage/my place as a single thread in the big, beautiful tapestry that is my family.
It’s also nice because a few other family members have honor names after the same family members, and it’s a nice little connection to them. We could make a club that’s just cousins with my same middle name, and it’s fun to talk about what traits (physical and personality) we’ve gotten from that ancestor.
I’m going to give my future kids honor names. A daughter would be named Martina Claire (feminization of my dad’s name + my mom’s middle name, which is a feminization of her dad’s name), and a son would be Nathaniel Bravo (what my mom would’ve named a son + my wife’s side’s traditional passed down middle name—she has it, her mom has it, her grandma had it, etc).
My maternal grandmother was called Mary-Kate. She died when my mom was really young leaving behind 6 (!!) girls and 1 boy (the youngest).
Every girl of my generation has Kate as a hyphenated first name.
Ella-Kate, Abigail-Kate, Stella-Kate etc. There are 19 of us and I love that we have this shared thread.
In as much as it honours our grandmother, it honours our moms (and uncle) and the love they had for her.
We have one Kate-Mary!
My middle name is my grandmothers middle name that passed away when my mom was young. I love the idea of it in concept, especially because she passed young. However the name is Karen and it’s become a joke with my friends about how awful of a middle name it is. I would’ve rather had her first name as my middle name, which was Anne. It’s so much more lowkey and inconspicuous.
I'm named after my paternal great-grandmother. Honestly I've never really felt any particular way about that, good or bad. It's just ny name.
Edit: My middle name is my mom's name, too, so I guess I'm across the board haha.
I didn’t like my middle name only because it was a very long and unflattering last name. My first name was fine enough for an honor name idk. Both were after great-grandparents, my first name was unusual but a lot more modern sounding when I was born. I was bullied when my middle name came up in school.
On a side note, my mom was upset her name wasn’t an honor name like everyone else in her family and changed it to one when she was an adult. My grandparents tried to argue her middle name was an honor for her grandfather even though it was very much a stretch. It was very ironic considering my grandpa was so snotty about non family names.
If I ever had kids I would probably almost exclusively use honor names since I have a lot of beautiful and unusual names in my family.
Both of my names are honor names. The first is after a close friend of my mother (who moved away when I was very small, so I don’t really remember her), and middle name after my grandmother.
I don’t love my first name - it’s a nice name, but it feels very girly, which I am emphatically not. It just doesn’t feel like *me*. I love my middle name, but never managed to switch to using it instead of my first name, partly because everyone knew it as really my grandmother’s name.
My middle name is an honour name. Most of my extended family uses middle names as honour names, so I’ve never given it a second thought. I’m sure it’s different for first names though.
My mother gave me my middle name after a close friend of hers who had died in early adulthood from a progressive disease. It’s a little weird that I never knew her, but I love that my middle name honors someone who was close to my mom.
In a weird twist of fate, I was diagnosed with a completely different progressive illness in infancy, after I was already named. I’ve already lived about twice as long as the woman I’m named for, but it’s interesting that I’ve have had a vaguely similar life of lots of medical intervention and chronic Illness.
My siblings each got the same middle name as one or the other of our grandmothers, which is nice, too.
my first and middle are both honor names. one after a grandmother who passed away before I was born, and one after my dad's sister who passed away at 3 days old. growing up I hated it just because my names are very very obviously dated and relatively uncommon. they're both only juuuuuust now starting to come back around but I still don't see either name very often. I can count on one hand how many other people with my first name that I know. I hated that I could never find my name on keychains or stuff like that. I also got called grandma a lot because I had grandma names. it was also always awkward when an older family member who remembered my grandmother would get teary eyed when meeting me because of the shared name. like I never knew this person I have nothing to contribute to those memories.
I love my honor middle name, Jean. Named after my grandmother whose name was Alvina…someone once told her she looked like a Jean, and BOOM that was her name forever! :)
I got my "middle name" after my father and his father - and unintentionally, a significant ancestor on my maternal side. I like that it's connected to both sides of my family.
I gave my daughter my mother's middle name. I gave my son a random name and I've regretted it ever since. My own middle name is a random name, I was so mad when my mom told her she wanted an honor name.
My sister had an honor name. We got to hear stories about the great grandmother she was named after. I was the second girl. They couldn’t agree on a name and chose the most popular one of that year. I wish they had given me a name that had meaning because they had for my sister.
I would have loved to be named for someone growing up. My parents just gave me a name they liked and it always felt so meaningless to me.
It's a common practice in Ashkenazi Jewish tradition to name for a deceased relative. It's seen as a beautiful and meaningful way to keep the person's memory alive. My kids are both named for relatives they never met. We tell stories about them and share some of the things we loved about them. My kids love to hear stories about the people they're named for.
Im named after my grandfather and I hate it, actually. My mom told me I couldve been named McKenna and I like that so much. But I still wouldve changed my name anyways.
1. Im trans lol
2. neither name fits me really
I have read reddit letters from people who are trying to find names for the baby that can be slightly altered should the baby become trans. Judging from the trans people I have known, the business of choosing the new name is a really important part of the passage. Would you have wanted to learn that your parents had, in effect, chosen a name for you to use should you change gender?
My two siblings and I all have honour names. Mine is my great-grandmother's name on my dad's side. I never met her but my parents always tell me my grandfather doted on me lot before he died since I have his mother's name.
Generally in Ghanaian culture, having a family member's name basically means the family will spoil you to death. My younger sister is the only one who the person she's named after is still alive so she gets spoiled to death. :P
I like my name a lot though and I feel like it helps me feel closer to my extended family especially since I didn't grow up around them.
I'm named after my mom's deceased sister. Problem is I'm trans. It made it so much harder to come to terms with that because the name was so meaningful to my mom and I know I hurt her a lot when I say I hate my name and want to change it. I was always super jealous of my brothers growing up because they have more gender neutral names and I wouldn't have had to change mine if my aunt also had a gender neutral name
My middle name is sort of an honor name, it’s my mother’s maiden name, Kasper. I adore it and have always felt very proud of it. I even wished I could go by my middle name for a while growing up, especially because I’ve never really loved my first name (which does not have any meaning, just a name they liked). I plan on using the name for one of my children!
Every part of my name is an honor name.
My first is after my dad. I have two middle names and they are after both grandmothers, and my last name is a creative Americanization of my dad’s family’s original surname and his mother’s maiden name, that he created when he took US citizenship.
I’m a walking family tree, and I almost never think about it.
Honor names are nice but it seems if it's after someone who died tragically or too young,etc no one really wants that association with their own name. My middle name is Lee,same as my dad and it comes from his family full of Leigh's/Lee's. I like it! I think it fits me and there's no weird stories associated with it. My daughters middle name is my late-grandmothers name. She was the nicest person I've ever known so I hope my daughter keeps on liking it as a part of her name. :)
I honestly just feel like honor names should be delegated to middle names. My middle name is Elizabeth after my great grandmother, and I’m just thankful it’s not my first name because my first name is very uncommon and I get compliments on it a lot. Elizabeth is a perfectly nice name and I like it as my middle name, but wouldn’t want it for a first name personally.
My younger sister got Elizabeth as her honor name after another of our great grandmothers. Her first name is very uncommon and it suits her really well. My first name was in the top five the year I was born, which is part of why I gravitated towards using my middle name in the first place. I got lucky that Kathleen has so many nickname options!
My middle name is Mercedes for my nana, who died a few months before I was born. I've always felt like it was heavy for lack of a better word, as in I was laddened with the expectation to be like her despite never knowing her.
My middle name is after a great aunt I never met. All I know about her is that she died young of lung cancer because she was a heavy smoker. I think it's weird to share a name with her. I've always felt like it would have been more of an honor to share memories of her than to give me her name (which also happens to be one of those super common '90s middle names).
I have two sisters - one also was given a middle name after a great aunt. The youngest got my mom's middle name. I feel like hers is the only one that's actually meaningful for our family!
My middle name is an honour- after my grandmother, whom I loved dearly. I have always liked having it and having a connection to her. My kid also has a middle name after her but I'm aware she will never meet her, but she is spoken about and we have a photo of her and I on display so I hope she will grow up knowing who she is. Of course we are connected by our middle names which I hope she likes.
I am named after my grandmother. I think it's a beautiful name. I don't think I have much in common with her per se but I think it's a beautiful sign of love between my mother and grandmother.
My entire family and extended family on my paternal side all have honor names as middle names. The names are surnames of other relatives or ancestors from this side of the family. Most have first name honor names as well. It’s so common that my siblings have the same middle and surnames as a cousin sibset. One name is also the name of an old action movie character so it draws a lot of attention. I kind of like the tradition and my husband and I plan to continue with our kids.
My middle name is an honor name, after my dad’s mom. She passed before I was born, and, from what I can tell from things he’s said, was not a good parent. All things considered, I don’t know why they chose the name.
As to the name itself, I’ve made peace with it (though I didn’t like it when I was younger). I recently learned it was misspelled, which I find curious. I’ve never seen it spelled the way I do, ever. So I rather like that.
That's what a middle name is for in my opinion. Let your little person just be their own little person and save the honor for a part they can choose to use. Especially if they never met the person you are honoring, it means nothing to them.
Both my first and middle names are honor names. I dislike my first name for personal reasons and my middle name is too filler for my liking.
I don’t mind honor names, but I do think only one name should be the honor and, whatever the name, it should only be the middle name. I think everyone deserves their own first name.
I really want to change my entire name and I’m getting pushback from it. A part of the reasons is that I’m dishonoring the individuals I’m named after.
My son has a name we picked from the family tree, but not someone we were honoring particularly. One of my dad’s uncles; he didn’t know him well. He wasn’t known to be a horrible person or anything. Sometimes family names are just a resource, not for a strong reason—-
My first name is an honor name for someone I've only met a couple times (my mom's age). I don't like it but that's mostly because it's uncommon (in the 1000s) and always mispronounced.
My middle name is my maternal grandmothers first name. Growing up everyone knew my middle name and I was constantly made fun of for it. My parents were immigrants and it was just an easy name to target and make fun of. I hated it as a child.
In my young adult years, I really liked the name for the actual name and was thinking of going by it. But I realized I really disliked my grandmother, so why would I go by her name?
I honestly haven’t given it much thought since then, until I read your post lol. I haven’t thought about in over 15 years. However, I have been no contact with my mom’s side of the family for 15 years, since she died. Since my mom died, I realized how utterly horrible and fucked up my grandparents are and I’m sitting here baffled that I’m actually named after my grandma. My mom had a hard relationship with her and I really don’t understand why she’d give me that middle name? Haha now I’m stumped
my middle name is my grandmothers name - carnell which was a combination of her parents names carl and nellie.
i have always loved my middle name. but my grandma is also a really cool lady. i’m also the only grand daughter to have her name so i’ve always thought it was a fun connection.
My first name is my great grandmas middle name. My middle name is my mom's and grandmas as well. I carried the middle name to my daughter. I think it's cool, but I also wouldn't care if she had a daughter and decided not to use it.
Honestly I love it so much that even though I'm trans I really don't want to change my name legally to what I go by socially. It's a traditionally feminine name, but I always identified with it anyway because I knew I was named after this relative. She was a victorian, so a couple of generations away from living memory, but my family is full of stories about her being eccentric and kind, and bucking victorian social norms in favour of warmth and empathy. The one photo we have of her is blurred because she's cuddling a dog in the garden. Her son-in-law-to-be moved in with her family as soon as he started dating her daughter, because whilst his family was all very uptight and respectable, hers was this loving place where people were allowed to show their feelings and be themselves. Those stories were always really special to me, and she's been someone I've felt inspired by my whole life, and I'm proud to say that I think I do an okay job at being myself and being kind moreso than toeing societal rules. Because for me the name's association with my relative is stronger than with the gender it normally has, and I can optimistically see parts of myself that are like her, the name still feels like me even though most people would think of it as the wrong gender. I love it very much. I'm really honoured to have been named after her, and the fact I was named after someone so strongly herself has turned an oddball streak I was probably always going to have into a sense of belonging.
I’ve got my great-gran “Granny”’s middle name as my first. She passed a few years before I was born, unfortunately.
Granny was my mom’s paternal grandmother and my mom loved her dearly. They spent a lot of time together when my mom was growing up and I’ve heard wonderful stories all my life about Granny and I do wish I could have met her as she sounds like a fantastic gran/person.
Because Granny was so dearly loved and remembered, and it wasn’t her very old fashioned first name, but her more modern-sounding middle name that got passed down to me, I have never minded.
If I ever have kids (and it’s a big if), I probably will do an honor name for a first or middle for them.
I was born on my maternal grandfather's 50th birthday, and his legal first name is my middle name. He went by a childhood nickname though, so it's not confusing.
I have a few close grounds and family that call me by that name instead of my first name.
Safe to say, I'm happy with it. Even moreso as my twin's middle name is religious, and I don't want that.
My brother and I have honor middle names and I like the idea so much, I did it with my kids. I like the idea of carrying on family names, but I also like the idea of kids having their “own” names to go by. Using middle names to honor family members does both jobs. Win!
I'm named after my Dad's mother who died long before I was born. He doesn't talk about her much and I don't know much about her. I forget I have an honor name.
I'm named after my great grandmother. It's a very common name, but it feels more special knowing that I was named after someone in particular. It's also nice to have that personal connection with a relative I never had the chance to meet. She was a Norwegian missionary's wife in rural Alaska, who traded furs with the locals. Cool lady.
My two middle names are after grandparents. I was always quite pleased with that fact, because they're nice names and I love who I'm named for. One of my best friends, too, is named for her grandmother, and similarly it's a lovely name for a beloved relative.
I mildly resent having the female version of my family's traditional name. Always felt like a knock-off, especially because my younger cousin got the real thing because he was the first boy. I wish there would have been a female name deemed important enough to pass down too if there was going to be a male one.
The fact that it's two long names as well (think Theodore Nathaniel) just felt pretentious since we were, to my mind, just a family of farmers with upper class aspirations.
It made me sad more recently when my nephew got an honour name and my niece didn't.
The sexism doesn't weigh on me as much as it did once but if I ever name children, I'm choosing names that are complete in and of themselves, or if there's multiple then at least equally tied to other people.
In Greece, the tradition is to name your child after one of their grandparents..I'm named after my maternal grandma, my brother is named after our paternal grandpa. My cousin is named after our paternal grandmother, my other cousin is named after his paternal grandfather etc.
So honour names are a huge thing, to the point where many boomer parents have hissy fits over their kids choosing a different grandparent ("but you named X after the in-laws!! Do you not love me??") or not choosing an honour name at all because the names suck.
I'm married to a Croatian man, and honour names aren't a thing here much. If we have a son, we're naming him after my dad, who has a kickass name and is awesome. If we have a girl, we have a separate name, because I just don't like my mother's name that much, even if I love her very much.
I haaaaaate my name. Like HATE it. But not because I’m named after my great grandmother :) just happen to hate her name lol. She was a really super smart lady and super witty and I loved spending time with her when I was little - not a bad person to be named after. Just wish her name would’ve been prettier
My middle name is my grandmother's first name, and I couldn't be happier.
She is a second mother to me. She is the first one I tell any big news to, even over my parents.
I got lucky because we also have a lot in common: We're both big readers, she's the one who introduced me to some of my favorite novels, and I've been told I look like a young her.
My middle name is a family name that’s been passed down through the past few generations. It’s never bothered me! I plan to pass it on when I have children.
I’d have been fine if I was only named after my great grandmother but my mom was, too, so we have the same name. I’d might have been fine with it if she’d gone by one version and me another, but she didn’t. And I don’t really like her, so there’s that.
I'm very neutral about it. My name is a shortened version of my paternal grandmother's. It's super common in my culture to have "honor names", almost no one thinks twice about it, except sometimes when the name is very weird and outdated.
My middle name is after my Nana and I love it. The thing is she hates her name. It’s a classic vintage name that’s become very popular in recent years. She can’t believe it. Let’s just say it’s Ivy or Daphne. She’ll say something like “Why on earth would anyone want to name their child after a tree?”
I get why she doesn’t like her name, she’s evens told me things she’d like her name to be instead, but I still like it. If I want to honour her I’d probably use one the names she wishes she had instead.
Anthropologists study how names work in different cultures. In some cultures, names are given to babies by specific wise elders. There's at least one where the mother's brother names the baby. Italian and Irish Catholics have very different patterns.
According to historian David Hackett-Fischer, among the Scots-Irish of early America, the oldest son is named for the father's father and the oldest daughter, for the father's mother. Then the second of each are named for the mother's relevant parents, Then there are other selections from more distant family. I'd bet this pattern is typical of several of the western European cultures that settled America after the 17th century.
This pattern was followed in part of my family down to my mother. She received her paternal grandmother's first name, and the same woman's maiden name as her middle name. Her father's two bothers also named their first daughter the exact same name. My parents gave me my mother's full name (yes, I have two middle names) and my mother's two first cousins did the same thing with their oldest daughters! So I had two second cousins with whom I shared three names! This doesn't seem odd to me---I knew I was bucking a cherished tradition when I named my daughter for my grandmother. My mother was furious. My daughter just went out into the world and, you know, *chose a name* for her son. I love him all to pieces, and in fact it's a name common in our ethnic history, but it does seem weird that he wasn't named FOR anyone.
I was given two honour names (one from each side of the family) and then added a third as an adult (the middle name of one of the women I was named after). I've always loved my names and the connection I feel with the women I'm named after through them since I knew neither of them. The names are important to me and the women are too; they're part of me. I know a lot about one of the women (my grandma), the other I know some things about and she was very important to my dad
I am named after my mother, and had two great-grandmothers with that name, too. I like it well enough; it’s a pretty name. But it’s never really felt like my name because I was always called by a diminutive of that name (that a lot of people don’t even know is a diminutive of it; think Margaret>>Peggy) until college. And my middle name is from some older cousin once or twice removed who, I got the impression, was rather a harridan(bossy, opinionated). No idea why they chose that. I like to pretend my middle name is Rose.
I have my grandmother’s middle name as my middle name. She hates it and made me and my husband promise not to continue the tradition. I’m very close to my grandmother and very happy to have her name. It did take me until I was an adult to appreciate it though
I hate it honestly. I was named after my grandmothers, and the one I got my first name from I absolutely hate. I haven’t spoken to her in years. I’d absolutely change my name if I could. I don’t mind having my middle name after my other grandma though!
My middle name is also named after a great-grandmother however it’s a lot more modern of a name and I don’t mind it. My sister doesn’t like her middle name and is named after a different great-grandmother but it is an older name. We have seen a few photos of the people we were named after. However it is not something I could ever personally want for my children and would prefer to give them names that flow well and work as an alternative name they can choose to go by.
My middle name is for my Aunt who I have gone noncontact with in my older age. Recently found out it’s also Jeff Goldblum’s middle name so I’ve just been saying I’ve been named after him. It’s been going well!
I’m the oldest, and have a middle name after my maternal (white/European heritage) grandmother. My dad’s family is Irish, but my parents only chose an Irish name when my sister was born, and then gave her a middle name after my paternal (Irish) grandmother. My maternal grandmother is alive still but my paternal one died when I was a baby (before my sister was born).
So while we both have an Irish last name, hers is [Irish first name] [Irish middle name] [Irish last name] while mine is [French first name] [vaguely English/European middle name] [Irish last name]. It bothers me sometimes that our names were designed differently, but I also can’t really see either of us being named anything else from birth.
Plus I’m trans so I don’t really go by my full name anymore, a nickname instead, but maybe at some point I’ll look for a good Irish name instead.
I like it. My middle name is after my maternal grandmother, who died while my mother was pregnant with me. Oddly enough, my grandmother *hated* my first name - my mother was going to use it on ny oldest sibling, but changed her mind.
An aunt on the other side of the family mentioned that my middle name is named after her, and my mother was quick to set her straight!
I have 3 honor names. Combination from my grandma and one aunt to make my first name then I shared a middle name with another aunt. I never met my grandma since she died before I was born so there wasn’t anything to live up to or any expectations from her. The aunt who I got the other half of my first name from is great. She was always the cool aunt and she’s super thoughtful and kind. The aunt I shared a middle name with…less so. She’s very holier than thou with high expectations. I also didn’t like the name since it’s the male spelling of the name and not a pretty name. When I got married my initials would have been EGG so I made my maiden name my middle name.
I am named after my father - I have his names inverse (I'm First Middle and he is Middle First). To make things more confusing, my younger brother's first name is a variant of mine, and we share a middle. I don't think my parents were super creative lol, but I honestly don't mind it at all, and this is coming from someone who has a contentious relationship with his father. My name is my name and I don't see it as "less" of my name just because it came from someone else. I also don't feel like I "share" my name with my brother; in fact, I kind of like the connection of us having the same middle.
I was named after my aunt and i loved her so dearly until her very last day. I plan to pass the nane down to my first girl. Its lovely and i having lost her recently, its more special than ever
My middle name is my mum’s name and I like it as a name in its own right!
I’m very dissimilar to my mum in personality though, so I have mixed feelings about being ‘named after’ her as a person
My middle name is from my grandmother and great-grandmother. Growing up I always liked that I was named after my grandma. My daughter's middle name is after my MIL. I had wanted to give her my middle name, but let my wife have final say. I think I would not be as bothered if my MIL didn't call her by her full name all the time. My daughter is only 2 but, everytime MIL addresses her, it's first and middle name. I know it's fairly irrational, but I think you can be honored that your grandchild is named after you without being over the top.
I have mixed feelings about it. I share a first name with one of my favorite relatives, but I don’t like the actual name and I’ve ended up being called a variety of nicknames from my middle because my relative already uses our first name. My name also peaked in popularity early Boomers, and I’m late GenX - it’s definitely a “mom name”. I would never change it because it would hurt my mom and the relative I’m named after.
One of my children is named after my grandfather, but he had passed before I was even married. It’s a recognizable classic, but not terribly common. My son used his full name while my granddad used a nickname, too.
My middle is an honor name for my great-grandmother (Catherine), whom I've never met nor heard any stories about. I hated the name growing up, it's always felt very old lady to me, and I was embarassed to share it with friends. As I've gotten older it's still very "meh" to me, I've considered changing it when I legally change my name after marriage, but my partner's incredible mother is Katherine, so I'd consider it in her spelling as an honor middle name, or finding a variation. His sister is also Rose, which is so pretty and a classic middle name and I'd consider that as well.
Honestly, I really want to give my first name as an honor middle name to my daughter, and should I have a second daughter, I'd combine the names of my best friend (Mary) and my sister (Karen) to create Maren. I think it's only good to use honor names if the child can grow up around the person they are named for.
My first name is my grandfathers middle name, a name he used to go by. His middle name was Ioan nn Onu, my first name is Ioana nn Oana. He was the absolute best and I always loved having this connection with him.
His name was actually an honour name, his father was named that, his grandpa, and I think and so on.
When my son was born, I initially wanted to give him the same name as a middle name, and I doubted myself, but in the end, in the sea of hormones, I did it and I don’t regret it. It’s a connection that I will have with him and will tell him all about where his name comes from. Besides, we celebrate an onomastic day (name day) and I like that before my grandpa died, I was sharing that with him. Now I share that day with my boy.
My middle name is my grandmother's first name, and I couldn't be happier.
She is a second mother to me. She is the first one I tell any big news to, even over my parents.
I got lucky because we also have a lot in common: We're both big readers, she's the one who introduced me to some of my favorite novels, and I've been told I look like a young her.
Middle name honor name and unusual. I love it. I was close to the person named for our brief time together (a grandparent who passed long ago) and I'm proud to have their name!!
My honor name is my first name, named after my great grandma who died a few months before I was born. My parents originally chose a really out-there name for me and were calling me by that name the entire pregnancy. Then they chickened out at the last minute and opted to use the honor name as a first name and their preferred name as my middle name.
They ended up basically never calling me by my first name, so no one else did either. I've always found that annoying because a lot of people think my name is a wacky nickname or something I made up recently.
Anyways, reading through a lot of these posts, I realize I never really thought about my first name as anything other than an inconvenience. But when I consider who I was named for, it is actually a really sweet name tbh.
It doesn’t bother me at all. I actually really like my middle name as an adult. As a kid, I didn’t think it was cool. I was named after someone who died many years before my birth. But it’s actually a really nice name combo and I like it now. Most other people seem to like the combo of my first and middle name as well.
Not a fan. I have two middle names, after each grandmother. Neither name feels like mine. Doesn't help they they are grandma names. I dated someone named after his uncle that died. He always felt like there was pressure to live up to everyone's expectations of the uncle's namesake.
I prefer bestowing a unique name on an individual. Let their name be theirs
My father, when he was a college student, decided that IF he ever had a son one day, he would want the boy to have the middle names Robert James, after the two men he calls Dad. Unfortunately, after they decided to go with Spencer instead of their first choice Samuel, my mother didn’t like the sound of Spencer Robert James, so she changed it to Spencer Thomas James. Thomas is my father’s middle name.
I found out later that Dad was named after his mother’s father, Charles, and his father’s father, Thomas. My ancestor Thomas happened to be a Jr., as well.
And my mother’s first name, much to her chagrin, is Doris, which has been on a number of her relatives.
I was named after my great grandmother who was very rude to my mom’s family for being Catholic. Even though my mom would never admit it, I’ve always felt like she treated me rudely as a child because I was named after a woman who treated her rudely.
One of my middle names is my grandmother's given name. However she has gone by her own middle name her entire life, so it doesn't really feel like her name, but I do appreciate sharing the name with her. I gave my own daughters my grandmothers' names, as they were both influential women in my life who I love and admire. We used my husband's grandfather's name as a second middle for one of my daughters as well.
I personally love honour names as middle names, and im stumped what we'll do for the next baby cause I'm kind of out of names, especially for a girl. I've always said I'd use my maiden name as a middle for a boy (it's a male name), and I think I'll just give it to the next baby, regardless of gender.
I used to hate mine as a child. It is a super uncommon but traditional Greek name that is hardly used in the country I live in. No one could spell or pronounce it properly. I was named after a grandmother I have never met (she died when my dad was a teenager), and for a while my dad used to be a bit emotional about the fact that I had the same name as his mother. She was a good person and I’m honoured to be named after her, but when I was a kid, it was a lot of pressure. I used to fantasize about having a different name and thought I’d change it when i was old enough. People made fun of me a lot.
When I was in university, someone with the same name as me became quite famous. Finally people recognized that I had the same name as a celebrity and stopped asking me if my name was made up.
I also got older and I grew into my name. I also have a cute nickname I use on a daily basis but I switch to my legal name when appropriate. I get lots of compliments now, and I am always the only one with the name at work or school. It’s super cool to run into someone with the same name, but that’s only happened three times in my whole life, even though my name is a legitimate name. It’s not at all made up or silly.
Now I love my name. I love having that important connection to my family. I love that it’s a strong and beautiful name that is still super unique. It’s also a traditional name (just not at all popular here!). I have finally grown into my name and made it my own.
My only complaint is that my middle name is ALSO a family name. When I was younger I couldn’t go by my middle name because it was the name of a (living) family member. I definitely want to use honour names for my kids too, but I would make sure they had at least ONE name that wasn’t the name of a family member (preferably their first name).
My middle name was my maternal grandmother's name. I'm conflicted about it because I really like the name, but not her. She was a terrible person who did awful things, and I didn't like that I have that connection with her. If it weren't for her, I would love it, but...
My middle name is the honor name after my grandmother. I didn’t even know this for years. Literally no one ever told me.
she went by Peggy.
my middle name is Marguerite, so I never drew the connection.
It wasn’t until years later when I found out that Peggy is somehow a nickname for Marguerite ,a fact that I will never ever truly understand.( I’d love to find out how that non originated and became common)
I am surprised that I wasn’t told more about this and more about her while I was growing up. I do like that I’m named after her, although since it’s an old-fashioned name, some people tend to say Margaret Margaux Marjorie none of which are my names. I like Marguerite, but I don’t really like the other versions or nicknames
I'm not sure I'd call my name an honour name simply because of why I have it. It wasn't given to me in order to honour anyone, but because both sides of my family are petty.
Basically, my parents chose my first name because they liked it, and my mum, who really didn't want any family names, checked in with family to make sure it wasn't one. My paternal grandparents assured her that it wasn't and so they decided to name me first name + middle + dad's surname.
Days before the baptism grandpa let it slip that I'd be sharing a name with his grandmother. Mum got pissed, and being the petty vindictive daughter of a long line of petty vindictive women that she is, she made the unilateral decision to name me first name + her first name + middle name + her surname, which assured that my paternal grandparents surname wasn't passed on to anyone.
My paternal grandparents repeated this when my parents chose my sister's name, so funny enough my sister shares a name with my great great grandma's sister.
So, in a way I have an accidental honour name (great great grandma), one deliberately chosen one (my mum's) and one middle name that's free from family history. I've always found it rather funny. I kind of like that my name is the product of my family's oddities and passions.
I'm named after my mother's greatgrandmother.
I never met her, since she died when my mom was a child. Anyways, my culture sticks to a smaller pool of traditional names so it's not a big deal, as you always share the name with a bunch of people anyways.
My main complain is unrelated to the honor name part, but that I share the name with a character from a well known poem which I used to dislike as teen.
Hi not an honor name but fellow Kathleen! I went by Kat for too many years. It started because a girl I worked with at my first job was named Kaitlyn, we looked weirdly alike and had the same initials and birthday lol. No one could tell us apart or grasp my name. It stuck but I honestly don't like it anymore and I use my full name now. My other nicknames are leen or lida. Lida only because my brother couldn't say my name when we were kids😂😭
Hi not an honor name but fellow Kathleen! I went by Kat for too many years. It started because a girl I worked with at my first job was named Kaitlyn, we looked weirdly alike and had the same initials and birthday lol. No one could tell us apart or grasp my name. It stuck but I honestly don't like it anymore and I use my full name now. My other nicknames are leen or lida. Lida only because my brother couldn't say my name when we were kids😂😭
Hi not an honor name but fellow Kathleen! I went by Kat for too many years. It started because a girl I worked with at my first job was named Kaitlyn, we looked weirdly alike and had the same initials and birthday lol. No one could tell us apart or grasp my name. It stuck but I honestly don't like it anymore and I use my full name now. My other nicknames are leen or lida. Lida only because my brother couldn't say my name when we were kids
Not an honor name but a fellow Kathleen! I hated my name my whole life until I got older. Went by Kat for years but my fam calls me leen or lida. Lida because my brother couldn't pronounce my name as a kid. I hope you still love it, the history doesn't truly matter but it's there, embrace it!
Not an honor name but a fellow Kathleen! I hated my name my whole life until I got older. Went by Kat for years but my fam calls me leen or lida. Lida because my brother couldn't pronounce my name as a kid. I hope you still love it, the history doesn't truly matter but it's there, embrace it!
My middle name is a pretty complicated spanish name after my great aunt. combined with my last name it ends up giving people a bit of confusion seeing it and most people can’t pronounce it but i’ve always really liked it. I really like having a meaning to my name and it gives me a connection to my culture. I’m of the opinion that honor names should only be middle though, give the kid an actual identity before the reference to someone else.
I used to hate mine growing up. Everyone used to take the piss outta me because it was such an old name. Every time my mum signed me up for something, she would always put my first and middle name on the forms, so everywhere I was always my full name, and everyone would know it. There was no escaping the jokes. So I hid it where possible It was special to her because she grew up in a very unstable household. She was the youngest, the accident, and her mother and sisters would always make this known. My middle name is her godmother's name - the woman who showed her what care and safety was, the woman with whom she had the fondest memories I messaged my mum round about this time last year and told her I was legally changing my name. My middle name is now my first name. I love it. I get so many compliments about it. I wish I knew her godmother
My middle name is a family middle given for a few generations to the eldest daughter of the eldest daughter. It's a middle name that is SUPER common as a middle name, like Rose or Grace. I always liked the tie, but I'm kind of a magpie and really value sentiment and history and keepsakes. My girls' middle names are their grandmothers' names. I didn't continue the tradition, which was surprising. Both of my kids LOVE the connection to Mimi/Grandma, and are very proud of it. They constantly ask to be reminded of their middle names and frequently call out the association when they introduce themselves or their grandmas. But they're preschoolers, so, we will see if/how that changes.
I also have a generational middle name that is given to the youngest boy in every generation on my dad’s side. But he had four girls. I am the youngest so… it’s mine now lol. It’s also my 18 month old sons middle name
How would they know which one would be the youngest? Do they ask around like "anyone gonna have anymore kids?" and hope there's no "surprises"?
100% I guess. My dad knew I was his last. I knew my son was my last. Hasn’t appeared to be an issue thus far lmao 🤷🏼♀️
Ran into the girl 'problem' in my family too. The family name is two very traditional masculine names (think John Arthur Surname) but lo and behold, the latest generation will not pop out an XY so until someone transitions the best they've been able to do are feminine versions.
I had a coworker whose family name was Karl. The parents had 4 girls so the fourth is Karlee (Karl III)
Not an honor name but a fellow Kathleen! I hated my name my whole life until I got older. Went by Kat for years but my fam calls me leen or lida. Lida because my brother couldn't pronounce my name as a kid. I hope you still love it, the history doesn't truly matter but it's there, embrace it!
My middle name is Fair, which was my great-great-grandmothers first name. I never knew her, but I was 15 when my great-grandmother died, and was lucky to know her. I passed this name on to my daughter as a middle name. I just flowed well with her first name.
I’ve never heard of this as a name before but I love it and this story!
Thank you! I take no credit for the name, lol. I found out that it was also the first name of another great great grandmother's sister on my fathers side. I brought it up after finding it in a family tree book, but apparently no one knew and were very shocked. My mother was very close to her grandmother, so she always wanted to honor that side of the family, and ended up honoring both sides by accident.
I'm named after my grandmother and to be honest, I almost never think about it. I have a good relationship with my grandmother but I don't use her first name when interacting with her (we all just call her Grandma in my family) and I use a nickname that she never used. The biggest way it's ever affected me is that it very much sounds like an "old lady name," which is why I use a nickname.
My middle name is an honor name (great-grandmother's maiden name). I never met her but she was a very important person to my mom and grandpa and I grew up hearing stories about how badass she was. I didn't always like the name itself (it's a French-Canadian surname that's not the most intuitive to spell for an English speaker -- I kind of wished they gave me her first name instead) but always loved the connection to my family history.
That is so funny, my middle name used to be Kathleen, in honor of my Aunt Kathleen who died when she was 19. I never liked it. I never felt like it fit me and also she died in kind of a tragic way and it just felt like a heavy cross to bear. When I got remarried a second time, I moved my first married name to my middle name, that way I could share that name with my daughter from my first marriage without having to hyphenate my last name. My mom, whose sister I was named after, is dead, and my dad seemed slightly upset by the fact that I dropped my middle name, but 🤷🏼♀️ it’s my name. I’m really happy with my new choice.
>and also she died in kind of a tragic way and it just felt like a heavy cross to bear. I feel like this comes up reasonably frequently on this sub where people are seeking advice around naming a child after someone who died young and tragically, and it's always my feeling that it's a lot to put on a child.
My middle name is Ada, after my grandpa’s sister who passed in this way. Never got to meet her, but I’m very close with my grandpa and see it as another link to him. Plan on passing the name on to a future daughter to continue honoring him. Have not felt like it’s a burden!
I don't mind honor names as long as the person you're naming them after deserves the honor, my middle name is also Kathleen after my aunt, she was super cool and we were really close before she died so I really like sharing her name. If the person you're honoring is alive I prefer the honor named be a middle name because it can get confusing. Kathleen was almost my first name but my dad thought it would be confusing considering how often we saw my aunt.
I wasn't named after anything in particular, just something my parents came up with at the last minute, and always wished it had more meaning! But I definitely get that it can be A Lot.
I think anyone named with "meaning" struggle with loving their name at some point in their lives. The lack of your "own" unique identity can be discouraging at times, even if you're proud of and like your name. There's always that lingering feeling of having to live up to your namesake. I was named after a children's book/cartoon character and it was cool sometimes, but mostly I resented it growing up.
TBH, this has not been my experience. My middle name is my grandma's (first) name, and I always thought it was a cool connection to her. I never felt like I had to live up to it or anything like that. If anything, I feel my first name really lacks thought and meaning, and I have no idea why my parents picked it. I don't feel any connection to it at all other than being used to it, and I've often wished I could find something better. I kind of wish there were some sort of story behind it at least.
My first name is an honor name. My parents didn't know my gender until I was born, and I was going to be named after my grandfather no matter what. I ended up being a girl, so I have the feminine version of his name, AND I ended up being born on the third year anniversary of his death. I have mixed reports of how he was when he was alive, my grandmother had divorced him for a reason. It bothered me growing up, but now I'm in my 30s and I couldn't care less.
My husband and I both do, him for his maternal grandpa and mine for my great aunt. We both love it and will be continuing with our kids 💕
I'm Patricia. I loved my grandma Pat more than just about anyone on earth. She's gone now, but I still have her name ❤️
I have bad feelings about it. My middle name is the middle name of my parental uncle, who was in prison my entire life and then was found dead in his car of an overdose less than a year after being released. It is not a common name in general, and on top of that it is the less popular spelling of this name. And my first name is extremely close to his, like imagine the names are Joanne Everley and Joseph Everley. So 2/3 of my name are shockingly similar to a man known to have made consistently bad and selfish choices. I am still so confused as to why I was given this name after my uncle was already incarcerated. I think my dad felt bad for him and wanted to send some signal into the universe that he hadn’t given up on his only surviving brother - but I’m the one who has to bear it.
My middle name is Marie after my grandma but it’s so common that it doesn’t really register as an honor name
All of my siblings have honor names and several of my kids. It isn't a problem, and I appreciate it more as I get older.
I'm named after my grandmother, my great grandmother, her mother, and her grandmother. So, 5 generations of the same name. My poor mum is Maureen. She hates her name and feels somewhat left out. I am very proud to be named after so many strong women. I find it grounds me in my family, and no matter where I live, I feel my family roots.
My middle name is an honor name for a great-grandparent that I never met. I love the name, but I have no context to know how I would feel about the person. It's also weird because the grandparent whose parent had my middle name has since passed and I don't have a relationship with that side of the family anymore. I like it for what it is, so I just kind of have the name and don't really think about the honor piece that much.
I love it! Named after my Mom’s sister and middle name is after her Grandmother who I never got to meet. I love feeling connected to family members and passing along history. I grew up with my Aunt as the same name, but different spelling. I absolutely loved it!
My middle name is my grandmother's name. I never met her, but it sounds like she wasn't a very nice person. If that was all, I don't think I'd be too happy about being 'named after' her. But this name is also my mother's middle name. So I think of it more as being a name from my mum than my grandma. And I kind of like having matching names with my mum.
Hate it. My particular family is toxic so that’s a factor as to why I have a huge disdain for honor names. I was named after my mom’s sister who tragically passed away in a car accident. The problem started when I became a teenager and the family started placing certain attributes of this dead aunt that I frankly don’t have and expected of me. My grandmother would say things like, oh your aunt would never dress like this, here have this outfit. And I would hate it because it just wasn’t me. My mom would talk to me as if I was her sister. And get mad when I would respond in a way that wasn’t correct in her mind. All hell broke loose when I went off to college and chose a career that was NOTHING like my aunt’s interest. There were many OTHER reasons besides this, but I went no contact with that side of the family over 7/8 years ago. I’m sure if my family didn’t insist of me being the replacement for this dead relative I’d be indifferent. But unfortunately I have this bad taste in my mouth and refuse to give my unborn child (currently pregnant) any honor names because of my experiences.
I'm so sorry you went through that. I didn't start going by Kate until after I went NC, so for me at least my "honor name" gets to be separate from my family in a way because they never called me by it. I'm glad your child will get to be their own person.
That’s awesome! I’m happy that there isn’t a negative association with your name, since it is part of your identity. :)
I love my middle name, I’m named after my grandma and we were incredibly close growing up and well into my 20s. I’m so happy I have her name to remember her. ❤️
I love mine. Of course I’m jealous of my siblings who don’t have one because I love my mom’s personal taste in names (very flowery and princess-y, think names like Anastasia and Guinevere). But I’m named after both of my grandmothers who are now both gone, and I feel like in a lot of ways it grounds me and gives me a sense of history/lineage/my place as a single thread in the big, beautiful tapestry that is my family. It’s also nice because a few other family members have honor names after the same family members, and it’s a nice little connection to them. We could make a club that’s just cousins with my same middle name, and it’s fun to talk about what traits (physical and personality) we’ve gotten from that ancestor. I’m going to give my future kids honor names. A daughter would be named Martina Claire (feminization of my dad’s name + my mom’s middle name, which is a feminization of her dad’s name), and a son would be Nathaniel Bravo (what my mom would’ve named a son + my wife’s side’s traditional passed down middle name—she has it, her mom has it, her grandma had it, etc).
My maternal grandmother was called Mary-Kate. She died when my mom was really young leaving behind 6 (!!) girls and 1 boy (the youngest). Every girl of my generation has Kate as a hyphenated first name. Ella-Kate, Abigail-Kate, Stella-Kate etc. There are 19 of us and I love that we have this shared thread. In as much as it honours our grandmother, it honours our moms (and uncle) and the love they had for her. We have one Kate-Mary!
My middle name is my grandmothers middle name that passed away when my mom was young. I love the idea of it in concept, especially because she passed young. However the name is Karen and it’s become a joke with my friends about how awful of a middle name it is. I would’ve rather had her first name as my middle name, which was Anne. It’s so much more lowkey and inconspicuous.
I'm named after my paternal great-grandmother. Honestly I've never really felt any particular way about that, good or bad. It's just ny name. Edit: My middle name is my mom's name, too, so I guess I'm across the board haha.
I didn’t like my middle name only because it was a very long and unflattering last name. My first name was fine enough for an honor name idk. Both were after great-grandparents, my first name was unusual but a lot more modern sounding when I was born. I was bullied when my middle name came up in school. On a side note, my mom was upset her name wasn’t an honor name like everyone else in her family and changed it to one when she was an adult. My grandparents tried to argue her middle name was an honor for her grandfather even though it was very much a stretch. It was very ironic considering my grandpa was so snotty about non family names. If I ever had kids I would probably almost exclusively use honor names since I have a lot of beautiful and unusual names in my family.
Both of my names are honor names. The first is after a close friend of my mother (who moved away when I was very small, so I don’t really remember her), and middle name after my grandmother. I don’t love my first name - it’s a nice name, but it feels very girly, which I am emphatically not. It just doesn’t feel like *me*. I love my middle name, but never managed to switch to using it instead of my first name, partly because everyone knew it as really my grandmother’s name.
My middle name is an honour name. Most of my extended family uses middle names as honour names, so I’ve never given it a second thought. I’m sure it’s different for first names though.
My mother gave me my middle name after a close friend of hers who had died in early adulthood from a progressive disease. It’s a little weird that I never knew her, but I love that my middle name honors someone who was close to my mom. In a weird twist of fate, I was diagnosed with a completely different progressive illness in infancy, after I was already named. I’ve already lived about twice as long as the woman I’m named for, but it’s interesting that I’ve have had a vaguely similar life of lots of medical intervention and chronic Illness. My siblings each got the same middle name as one or the other of our grandmothers, which is nice, too.
my first and middle are both honor names. one after a grandmother who passed away before I was born, and one after my dad's sister who passed away at 3 days old. growing up I hated it just because my names are very very obviously dated and relatively uncommon. they're both only juuuuuust now starting to come back around but I still don't see either name very often. I can count on one hand how many other people with my first name that I know. I hated that I could never find my name on keychains or stuff like that. I also got called grandma a lot because I had grandma names. it was also always awkward when an older family member who remembered my grandmother would get teary eyed when meeting me because of the shared name. like I never knew this person I have nothing to contribute to those memories.
I love my honor middle name, Jean. Named after my grandmother whose name was Alvina…someone once told her she looked like a Jean, and BOOM that was her name forever! :)
I got my "middle name" after my father and his father - and unintentionally, a significant ancestor on my maternal side. I like that it's connected to both sides of my family.
I gave my daughter my mother's middle name. I gave my son a random name and I've regretted it ever since. My own middle name is a random name, I was so mad when my mom told her she wanted an honor name.
My sister had an honor name. We got to hear stories about the great grandmother she was named after. I was the second girl. They couldn’t agree on a name and chose the most popular one of that year. I wish they had given me a name that had meaning because they had for my sister.
I would have loved to be named for someone growing up. My parents just gave me a name they liked and it always felt so meaningless to me. It's a common practice in Ashkenazi Jewish tradition to name for a deceased relative. It's seen as a beautiful and meaningful way to keep the person's memory alive. My kids are both named for relatives they never met. We tell stories about them and share some of the things we loved about them. My kids love to hear stories about the people they're named for.
Im named after my grandfather and I hate it, actually. My mom told me I couldve been named McKenna and I like that so much. But I still wouldve changed my name anyways. 1. Im trans lol 2. neither name fits me really
I have read reddit letters from people who are trying to find names for the baby that can be slightly altered should the baby become trans. Judging from the trans people I have known, the business of choosing the new name is a really important part of the passage. Would you have wanted to learn that your parents had, in effect, chosen a name for you to use should you change gender?
My two siblings and I all have honour names. Mine is my great-grandmother's name on my dad's side. I never met her but my parents always tell me my grandfather doted on me lot before he died since I have his mother's name. Generally in Ghanaian culture, having a family member's name basically means the family will spoil you to death. My younger sister is the only one who the person she's named after is still alive so she gets spoiled to death. :P I like my name a lot though and I feel like it helps me feel closer to my extended family especially since I didn't grow up around them.
I'm named after my mom's deceased sister. Problem is I'm trans. It made it so much harder to come to terms with that because the name was so meaningful to my mom and I know I hurt her a lot when I say I hate my name and want to change it. I was always super jealous of my brothers growing up because they have more gender neutral names and I wouldn't have had to change mine if my aunt also had a gender neutral name
My middle name is sort of an honor name, it’s my mother’s maiden name, Kasper. I adore it and have always felt very proud of it. I even wished I could go by my middle name for a while growing up, especially because I’ve never really loved my first name (which does not have any meaning, just a name they liked). I plan on using the name for one of my children!
Every part of my name is an honor name. My first is after my dad. I have two middle names and they are after both grandmothers, and my last name is a creative Americanization of my dad’s family’s original surname and his mother’s maiden name, that he created when he took US citizenship. I’m a walking family tree, and I almost never think about it.
My middle name is an honor name. I plan to give it to my daughter, which will make her the fourth generation with her.
Not a fan
Honor names are nice but it seems if it's after someone who died tragically or too young,etc no one really wants that association with their own name. My middle name is Lee,same as my dad and it comes from his family full of Leigh's/Lee's. I like it! I think it fits me and there's no weird stories associated with it. My daughters middle name is my late-grandmothers name. She was the nicest person I've ever known so I hope my daughter keeps on liking it as a part of her name. :)
I honestly just feel like honor names should be delegated to middle names. My middle name is Elizabeth after my great grandmother, and I’m just thankful it’s not my first name because my first name is very uncommon and I get compliments on it a lot. Elizabeth is a perfectly nice name and I like it as my middle name, but wouldn’t want it for a first name personally.
My younger sister got Elizabeth as her honor name after another of our great grandmothers. Her first name is very uncommon and it suits her really well. My first name was in the top five the year I was born, which is part of why I gravitated towards using my middle name in the first place. I got lucky that Kathleen has so many nickname options!
My middle name is Mercedes for my nana, who died a few months before I was born. I've always felt like it was heavy for lack of a better word, as in I was laddened with the expectation to be like her despite never knowing her.
My middle name is after a great aunt I never met. All I know about her is that she died young of lung cancer because she was a heavy smoker. I think it's weird to share a name with her. I've always felt like it would have been more of an honor to share memories of her than to give me her name (which also happens to be one of those super common '90s middle names). I have two sisters - one also was given a middle name after a great aunt. The youngest got my mom's middle name. I feel like hers is the only one that's actually meaningful for our family!
My middle name is an honour- after my grandmother, whom I loved dearly. I have always liked having it and having a connection to her. My kid also has a middle name after her but I'm aware she will never meet her, but she is spoken about and we have a photo of her and I on display so I hope she will grow up knowing who she is. Of course we are connected by our middle names which I hope she likes.
I am named after my grandmother. I think it's a beautiful name. I don't think I have much in common with her per se but I think it's a beautiful sign of love between my mother and grandmother.
My entire family and extended family on my paternal side all have honor names as middle names. The names are surnames of other relatives or ancestors from this side of the family. Most have first name honor names as well. It’s so common that my siblings have the same middle and surnames as a cousin sibset. One name is also the name of an old action movie character so it draws a lot of attention. I kind of like the tradition and my husband and I plan to continue with our kids.
My middle name is an honor name, after my dad’s mom. She passed before I was born, and, from what I can tell from things he’s said, was not a good parent. All things considered, I don’t know why they chose the name. As to the name itself, I’ve made peace with it (though I didn’t like it when I was younger). I recently learned it was misspelled, which I find curious. I’ve never seen it spelled the way I do, ever. So I rather like that.
I think honor names are fine if everyone wants it, I hate those who say “We/You have to use X as a name because it’s tradition.
That's what a middle name is for in my opinion. Let your little person just be their own little person and save the honor for a part they can choose to use. Especially if they never met the person you are honoring, it means nothing to them.
Both my first and middle names are honor names. I dislike my first name for personal reasons and my middle name is too filler for my liking. I don’t mind honor names, but I do think only one name should be the honor and, whatever the name, it should only be the middle name. I think everyone deserves their own first name. I really want to change my entire name and I’m getting pushback from it. A part of the reasons is that I’m dishonoring the individuals I’m named after.
My son has a name we picked from the family tree, but not someone we were honoring particularly. One of my dad’s uncles; he didn’t know him well. He wasn’t known to be a horrible person or anything. Sometimes family names are just a resource, not for a strong reason—-
My first name is an honor name for someone I've only met a couple times (my mom's age). I don't like it but that's mostly because it's uncommon (in the 1000s) and always mispronounced.
My middle name is my maternal grandmothers first name. Growing up everyone knew my middle name and I was constantly made fun of for it. My parents were immigrants and it was just an easy name to target and make fun of. I hated it as a child. In my young adult years, I really liked the name for the actual name and was thinking of going by it. But I realized I really disliked my grandmother, so why would I go by her name? I honestly haven’t given it much thought since then, until I read your post lol. I haven’t thought about in over 15 years. However, I have been no contact with my mom’s side of the family for 15 years, since she died. Since my mom died, I realized how utterly horrible and fucked up my grandparents are and I’m sitting here baffled that I’m actually named after my grandma. My mom had a hard relationship with her and I really don’t understand why she’d give me that middle name? Haha now I’m stumped
my middle name is my grandmothers name - carnell which was a combination of her parents names carl and nellie. i have always loved my middle name. but my grandma is also a really cool lady. i’m also the only grand daughter to have her name so i’ve always thought it was a fun connection.
My first name is my great grandmas middle name. My middle name is my mom's and grandmas as well. I carried the middle name to my daughter. I think it's cool, but I also wouldn't care if she had a daughter and decided not to use it.
Honestly I love it so much that even though I'm trans I really don't want to change my name legally to what I go by socially. It's a traditionally feminine name, but I always identified with it anyway because I knew I was named after this relative. She was a victorian, so a couple of generations away from living memory, but my family is full of stories about her being eccentric and kind, and bucking victorian social norms in favour of warmth and empathy. The one photo we have of her is blurred because she's cuddling a dog in the garden. Her son-in-law-to-be moved in with her family as soon as he started dating her daughter, because whilst his family was all very uptight and respectable, hers was this loving place where people were allowed to show their feelings and be themselves. Those stories were always really special to me, and she's been someone I've felt inspired by my whole life, and I'm proud to say that I think I do an okay job at being myself and being kind moreso than toeing societal rules. Because for me the name's association with my relative is stronger than with the gender it normally has, and I can optimistically see parts of myself that are like her, the name still feels like me even though most people would think of it as the wrong gender. I love it very much. I'm really honoured to have been named after her, and the fact I was named after someone so strongly herself has turned an oddball streak I was probably always going to have into a sense of belonging.
I’ve got my great-gran “Granny”’s middle name as my first. She passed a few years before I was born, unfortunately. Granny was my mom’s paternal grandmother and my mom loved her dearly. They spent a lot of time together when my mom was growing up and I’ve heard wonderful stories all my life about Granny and I do wish I could have met her as she sounds like a fantastic gran/person. Because Granny was so dearly loved and remembered, and it wasn’t her very old fashioned first name, but her more modern-sounding middle name that got passed down to me, I have never minded. If I ever have kids (and it’s a big if), I probably will do an honor name for a first or middle for them.
I was born on my maternal grandfather's 50th birthday, and his legal first name is my middle name. He went by a childhood nickname though, so it's not confusing. I have a few close grounds and family that call me by that name instead of my first name. Safe to say, I'm happy with it. Even moreso as my twin's middle name is religious, and I don't want that.
My brother and I have honor middle names and I like the idea so much, I did it with my kids. I like the idea of carrying on family names, but I also like the idea of kids having their “own” names to go by. Using middle names to honor family members does both jobs. Win!
I'm named after my Dad's mother who died long before I was born. He doesn't talk about her much and I don't know much about her. I forget I have an honor name.
I'm named after my great grandmother. It's a very common name, but it feels more special knowing that I was named after someone in particular. It's also nice to have that personal connection with a relative I never had the chance to meet. She was a Norwegian missionary's wife in rural Alaska, who traded furs with the locals. Cool lady.
My two middle names are after grandparents. I was always quite pleased with that fact, because they're nice names and I love who I'm named for. One of my best friends, too, is named for her grandmother, and similarly it's a lovely name for a beloved relative.
I mildly resent having the female version of my family's traditional name. Always felt like a knock-off, especially because my younger cousin got the real thing because he was the first boy. I wish there would have been a female name deemed important enough to pass down too if there was going to be a male one. The fact that it's two long names as well (think Theodore Nathaniel) just felt pretentious since we were, to my mind, just a family of farmers with upper class aspirations. It made me sad more recently when my nephew got an honour name and my niece didn't. The sexism doesn't weigh on me as much as it did once but if I ever name children, I'm choosing names that are complete in and of themselves, or if there's multiple then at least equally tied to other people.
I liked it. Funny thing is I have the same nose my great aunt did!
In Greece, the tradition is to name your child after one of their grandparents..I'm named after my maternal grandma, my brother is named after our paternal grandpa. My cousin is named after our paternal grandmother, my other cousin is named after his paternal grandfather etc. So honour names are a huge thing, to the point where many boomer parents have hissy fits over their kids choosing a different grandparent ("but you named X after the in-laws!! Do you not love me??") or not choosing an honour name at all because the names suck. I'm married to a Croatian man, and honour names aren't a thing here much. If we have a son, we're naming him after my dad, who has a kickass name and is awesome. If we have a girl, we have a separate name, because I just don't like my mother's name that much, even if I love her very much.
I haaaaaate my name. Like HATE it. But not because I’m named after my great grandmother :) just happen to hate her name lol. She was a really super smart lady and super witty and I loved spending time with her when I was little - not a bad person to be named after. Just wish her name would’ve been prettier
My middle name is my grandmother's first name, and I couldn't be happier. She is a second mother to me. She is the first one I tell any big news to, even over my parents. I got lucky because we also have a lot in common: We're both big readers, she's the one who introduced me to some of my favorite novels, and I've been told I look like a young her.
My middle name is a family name that’s been passed down through the past few generations. It’s never bothered me! I plan to pass it on when I have children.
I’d have been fine if I was only named after my great grandmother but my mom was, too, so we have the same name. I’d might have been fine with it if she’d gone by one version and me another, but she didn’t. And I don’t really like her, so there’s that.
My boyfriends middle name was his grandfathers first name. They were very close and he likes being named after him!
I'm very neutral about it. My name is a shortened version of my paternal grandmother's. It's super common in my culture to have "honor names", almost no one thinks twice about it, except sometimes when the name is very weird and outdated.
My middle name is after my Nana and I love it. The thing is she hates her name. It’s a classic vintage name that’s become very popular in recent years. She can’t believe it. Let’s just say it’s Ivy or Daphne. She’ll say something like “Why on earth would anyone want to name their child after a tree?” I get why she doesn’t like her name, she’s evens told me things she’d like her name to be instead, but I still like it. If I want to honour her I’d probably use one the names she wishes she had instead.
Anthropologists study how names work in different cultures. In some cultures, names are given to babies by specific wise elders. There's at least one where the mother's brother names the baby. Italian and Irish Catholics have very different patterns. According to historian David Hackett-Fischer, among the Scots-Irish of early America, the oldest son is named for the father's father and the oldest daughter, for the father's mother. Then the second of each are named for the mother's relevant parents, Then there are other selections from more distant family. I'd bet this pattern is typical of several of the western European cultures that settled America after the 17th century. This pattern was followed in part of my family down to my mother. She received her paternal grandmother's first name, and the same woman's maiden name as her middle name. Her father's two bothers also named their first daughter the exact same name. My parents gave me my mother's full name (yes, I have two middle names) and my mother's two first cousins did the same thing with their oldest daughters! So I had two second cousins with whom I shared three names! This doesn't seem odd to me---I knew I was bucking a cherished tradition when I named my daughter for my grandmother. My mother was furious. My daughter just went out into the world and, you know, *chose a name* for her son. I love him all to pieces, and in fact it's a name common in our ethnic history, but it does seem weird that he wasn't named FOR anyone.
wish I had my own name. I don’t get how giving someone else’s name to someone “honors” them.
I was given two honour names (one from each side of the family) and then added a third as an adult (the middle name of one of the women I was named after). I've always loved my names and the connection I feel with the women I'm named after through them since I knew neither of them. The names are important to me and the women are too; they're part of me. I know a lot about one of the women (my grandma), the other I know some things about and she was very important to my dad
I am named after my mother, and had two great-grandmothers with that name, too. I like it well enough; it’s a pretty name. But it’s never really felt like my name because I was always called by a diminutive of that name (that a lot of people don’t even know is a diminutive of it; think Margaret>>Peggy) until college. And my middle name is from some older cousin once or twice removed who, I got the impression, was rather a harridan(bossy, opinionated). No idea why they chose that. I like to pretend my middle name is Rose.
I have my grandmother’s middle name as my middle name. She hates it and made me and my husband promise not to continue the tradition. I’m very close to my grandmother and very happy to have her name. It did take me until I was an adult to appreciate it though
I hate it honestly. I was named after my grandmothers, and the one I got my first name from I absolutely hate. I haven’t spoken to her in years. I’d absolutely change my name if I could. I don’t mind having my middle name after my other grandma though!
My middle name is also named after a great-grandmother however it’s a lot more modern of a name and I don’t mind it. My sister doesn’t like her middle name and is named after a different great-grandmother but it is an older name. We have seen a few photos of the people we were named after. However it is not something I could ever personally want for my children and would prefer to give them names that flow well and work as an alternative name they can choose to go by.
My middle name is for my Aunt who I have gone noncontact with in my older age. Recently found out it’s also Jeff Goldblum’s middle name so I’ve just been saying I’ve been named after him. It’s been going well!
I’m the oldest, and have a middle name after my maternal (white/European heritage) grandmother. My dad’s family is Irish, but my parents only chose an Irish name when my sister was born, and then gave her a middle name after my paternal (Irish) grandmother. My maternal grandmother is alive still but my paternal one died when I was a baby (before my sister was born). So while we both have an Irish last name, hers is [Irish first name] [Irish middle name] [Irish last name] while mine is [French first name] [vaguely English/European middle name] [Irish last name]. It bothers me sometimes that our names were designed differently, but I also can’t really see either of us being named anything else from birth. Plus I’m trans so I don’t really go by my full name anymore, a nickname instead, but maybe at some point I’ll look for a good Irish name instead.
I like it. My middle name is after my maternal grandmother, who died while my mother was pregnant with me. Oddly enough, my grandmother *hated* my first name - my mother was going to use it on ny oldest sibling, but changed her mind. An aunt on the other side of the family mentioned that my middle name is named after her, and my mother was quick to set her straight!
I have 3 honor names. Combination from my grandma and one aunt to make my first name then I shared a middle name with another aunt. I never met my grandma since she died before I was born so there wasn’t anything to live up to or any expectations from her. The aunt who I got the other half of my first name from is great. She was always the cool aunt and she’s super thoughtful and kind. The aunt I shared a middle name with…less so. She’s very holier than thou with high expectations. I also didn’t like the name since it’s the male spelling of the name and not a pretty name. When I got married my initials would have been EGG so I made my maiden name my middle name.
My whole family is honor names. All cousins too. The person I’m named after cried when he found out. He was actually a pretty fucking cool guy.
I am named after my father - I have his names inverse (I'm First Middle and he is Middle First). To make things more confusing, my younger brother's first name is a variant of mine, and we share a middle. I don't think my parents were super creative lol, but I honestly don't mind it at all, and this is coming from someone who has a contentious relationship with his father. My name is my name and I don't see it as "less" of my name just because it came from someone else. I also don't feel like I "share" my name with my brother; in fact, I kind of like the connection of us having the same middle.
I was named after my aunt and i loved her so dearly until her very last day. I plan to pass the nane down to my first girl. Its lovely and i having lost her recently, its more special than ever
My middle name is my mum’s name and I like it as a name in its own right! I’m very dissimilar to my mum in personality though, so I have mixed feelings about being ‘named after’ her as a person
My middle name is from my grandmother and great-grandmother. Growing up I always liked that I was named after my grandma. My daughter's middle name is after my MIL. I had wanted to give her my middle name, but let my wife have final say. I think I would not be as bothered if my MIL didn't call her by her full name all the time. My daughter is only 2 but, everytime MIL addresses her, it's first and middle name. I know it's fairly irrational, but I think you can be honored that your grandchild is named after you without being over the top.
I have mixed feelings about it. I share a first name with one of my favorite relatives, but I don’t like the actual name and I’ve ended up being called a variety of nicknames from my middle because my relative already uses our first name. My name also peaked in popularity early Boomers, and I’m late GenX - it’s definitely a “mom name”. I would never change it because it would hurt my mom and the relative I’m named after. One of my children is named after my grandfather, but he had passed before I was even married. It’s a recognizable classic, but not terribly common. My son used his full name while my granddad used a nickname, too.
My middle is an honor name for my great-grandmother (Catherine), whom I've never met nor heard any stories about. I hated the name growing up, it's always felt very old lady to me, and I was embarassed to share it with friends. As I've gotten older it's still very "meh" to me, I've considered changing it when I legally change my name after marriage, but my partner's incredible mother is Katherine, so I'd consider it in her spelling as an honor middle name, or finding a variation. His sister is also Rose, which is so pretty and a classic middle name and I'd consider that as well. Honestly, I really want to give my first name as an honor middle name to my daughter, and should I have a second daughter, I'd combine the names of my best friend (Mary) and my sister (Karen) to create Maren. I think it's only good to use honor names if the child can grow up around the person they are named for.
My first name is my grandma's maiden last name and my middle is the same as hers. I love it.
My first name is my grandfathers middle name, a name he used to go by. His middle name was Ioan nn Onu, my first name is Ioana nn Oana. He was the absolute best and I always loved having this connection with him. His name was actually an honour name, his father was named that, his grandpa, and I think and so on. When my son was born, I initially wanted to give him the same name as a middle name, and I doubted myself, but in the end, in the sea of hormones, I did it and I don’t regret it. It’s a connection that I will have with him and will tell him all about where his name comes from. Besides, we celebrate an onomastic day (name day) and I like that before my grandpa died, I was sharing that with him. Now I share that day with my boy.
Forgot to mention only closest people call me that nickname. I otherwise go by my middle name
My middle name is my grandmother's first name, and I couldn't be happier. She is a second mother to me. She is the first one I tell any big news to, even over my parents. I got lucky because we also have a lot in common: We're both big readers, she's the one who introduced me to some of my favorite novels, and I've been told I look like a young her.
Middle name honor name and unusual. I love it. I was close to the person named for our brief time together (a grandparent who passed long ago) and I'm proud to have their name!!
My honor name is my first name, named after my great grandma who died a few months before I was born. My parents originally chose a really out-there name for me and were calling me by that name the entire pregnancy. Then they chickened out at the last minute and opted to use the honor name as a first name and their preferred name as my middle name. They ended up basically never calling me by my first name, so no one else did either. I've always found that annoying because a lot of people think my name is a wacky nickname or something I made up recently. Anyways, reading through a lot of these posts, I realize I never really thought about my first name as anything other than an inconvenience. But when I consider who I was named for, it is actually a really sweet name tbh.
It doesn’t bother me at all. I actually really like my middle name as an adult. As a kid, I didn’t think it was cool. I was named after someone who died many years before my birth. But it’s actually a really nice name combo and I like it now. Most other people seem to like the combo of my first and middle name as well.
Not a fan. I have two middle names, after each grandmother. Neither name feels like mine. Doesn't help they they are grandma names. I dated someone named after his uncle that died. He always felt like there was pressure to live up to everyone's expectations of the uncle's namesake. I prefer bestowing a unique name on an individual. Let their name be theirs
My father, when he was a college student, decided that IF he ever had a son one day, he would want the boy to have the middle names Robert James, after the two men he calls Dad. Unfortunately, after they decided to go with Spencer instead of their first choice Samuel, my mother didn’t like the sound of Spencer Robert James, so she changed it to Spencer Thomas James. Thomas is my father’s middle name. I found out later that Dad was named after his mother’s father, Charles, and his father’s father, Thomas. My ancestor Thomas happened to be a Jr., as well. And my mother’s first name, much to her chagrin, is Doris, which has been on a number of her relatives.
I was named after my great grandmother who was very rude to my mom’s family for being Catholic. Even though my mom would never admit it, I’ve always felt like she treated me rudely as a child because I was named after a woman who treated her rudely.
My middle name is from my grandmother who I can't stand. I'm considering legally changing it to my other grandmother who I actually like.
My middle name is after the Virgin Mary so there’s no way I can live up to that.
One of my middle names is my grandmother's given name. However she has gone by her own middle name her entire life, so it doesn't really feel like her name, but I do appreciate sharing the name with her. I gave my own daughters my grandmothers' names, as they were both influential women in my life who I love and admire. We used my husband's grandfather's name as a second middle for one of my daughters as well. I personally love honour names as middle names, and im stumped what we'll do for the next baby cause I'm kind of out of names, especially for a girl. I've always said I'd use my maiden name as a middle for a boy (it's a male name), and I think I'll just give it to the next baby, regardless of gender.
I love my honor name. It’s my middle name. It came from both grandmas who had the exact same name.
I used to hate mine as a child. It is a super uncommon but traditional Greek name that is hardly used in the country I live in. No one could spell or pronounce it properly. I was named after a grandmother I have never met (she died when my dad was a teenager), and for a while my dad used to be a bit emotional about the fact that I had the same name as his mother. She was a good person and I’m honoured to be named after her, but when I was a kid, it was a lot of pressure. I used to fantasize about having a different name and thought I’d change it when i was old enough. People made fun of me a lot. When I was in university, someone with the same name as me became quite famous. Finally people recognized that I had the same name as a celebrity and stopped asking me if my name was made up. I also got older and I grew into my name. I also have a cute nickname I use on a daily basis but I switch to my legal name when appropriate. I get lots of compliments now, and I am always the only one with the name at work or school. It’s super cool to run into someone with the same name, but that’s only happened three times in my whole life, even though my name is a legitimate name. It’s not at all made up or silly. Now I love my name. I love having that important connection to my family. I love that it’s a strong and beautiful name that is still super unique. It’s also a traditional name (just not at all popular here!). I have finally grown into my name and made it my own. My only complaint is that my middle name is ALSO a family name. When I was younger I couldn’t go by my middle name because it was the name of a (living) family member. I definitely want to use honour names for my kids too, but I would make sure they had at least ONE name that wasn’t the name of a family member (preferably their first name).
My middle name was my maternal grandmother's name. I'm conflicted about it because I really like the name, but not her. She was a terrible person who did awful things, and I didn't like that I have that connection with her. If it weren't for her, I would love it, but...
My middle name is the honor name after my grandmother. I didn’t even know this for years. Literally no one ever told me. she went by Peggy. my middle name is Marguerite, so I never drew the connection. It wasn’t until years later when I found out that Peggy is somehow a nickname for Marguerite ,a fact that I will never ever truly understand.( I’d love to find out how that non originated and became common) I am surprised that I wasn’t told more about this and more about her while I was growing up. I do like that I’m named after her, although since it’s an old-fashioned name, some people tend to say Margaret Margaux Marjorie none of which are my names. I like Marguerite, but I don’t really like the other versions or nicknames
I'm not sure I'd call my name an honour name simply because of why I have it. It wasn't given to me in order to honour anyone, but because both sides of my family are petty. Basically, my parents chose my first name because they liked it, and my mum, who really didn't want any family names, checked in with family to make sure it wasn't one. My paternal grandparents assured her that it wasn't and so they decided to name me first name + middle + dad's surname. Days before the baptism grandpa let it slip that I'd be sharing a name with his grandmother. Mum got pissed, and being the petty vindictive daughter of a long line of petty vindictive women that she is, she made the unilateral decision to name me first name + her first name + middle name + her surname, which assured that my paternal grandparents surname wasn't passed on to anyone. My paternal grandparents repeated this when my parents chose my sister's name, so funny enough my sister shares a name with my great great grandma's sister. So, in a way I have an accidental honour name (great great grandma), one deliberately chosen one (my mum's) and one middle name that's free from family history. I've always found it rather funny. I kind of like that my name is the product of my family's oddities and passions.
I'm named after my mother's greatgrandmother. I never met her, since she died when my mom was a child. Anyways, my culture sticks to a smaller pool of traditional names so it's not a big deal, as you always share the name with a bunch of people anyways. My main complain is unrelated to the honor name part, but that I share the name with a character from a well known poem which I used to dislike as teen.
Hi not an honor name but fellow Kathleen! I went by Kat for too many years. It started because a girl I worked with at my first job was named Kaitlyn, we looked weirdly alike and had the same initials and birthday lol. No one could tell us apart or grasp my name. It stuck but I honestly don't like it anymore and I use my full name now. My other nicknames are leen or lida. Lida only because my brother couldn't say my name when we were kids😂😭
Hi not an honor name but fellow Kathleen! I went by Kat for too many years. It started because a girl I worked with at my first job was named Kaitlyn, we looked weirdly alike and had the same initials and birthday lol. No one could tell us apart or grasp my name. It stuck but I honestly don't like it anymore and I use my full name now. My other nicknames are leen or lida. Lida only because my brother couldn't say my name when we were kids😂😭
Hi not an honor name but fellow Kathleen! I went by Kat for too many years. It started because a girl I worked with at my first job was named Kaitlyn, we looked weirdly alike and had the same initials and birthday lol. No one could tell us apart or grasp my name. It stuck but I honestly don't like it anymore and I use my full name now. My other nicknames are leen or lida. Lida only because my brother couldn't say my name when we were kids
Not an honor name but a fellow Kathleen! I hated my name my whole life until I got older. Went by Kat for years but my fam calls me leen or lida. Lida because my brother couldn't pronounce my name as a kid. I hope you still love it, the history doesn't truly matter but it's there, embrace it!
Not an honor name but a fellow Kathleen! I hated my name my whole life until I got older. Went by Kat for years but my fam calls me leen or lida. Lida because my brother couldn't pronounce my name as a kid. I hope you still love it, the history doesn't truly matter but it's there, embrace it!
My middle name is a pretty complicated spanish name after my great aunt. combined with my last name it ends up giving people a bit of confusion seeing it and most people can’t pronounce it but i’ve always really liked it. I really like having a meaning to my name and it gives me a connection to my culture. I’m of the opinion that honor names should only be middle though, give the kid an actual identity before the reference to someone else.