Middles for firsts

[earn-my-wings.livejournal.com]

Do you know anyone who uses their middle name instead of their first name, and do you like it/think it suits them better?

My pastor's daughter is Sara Savannah, but goes by Savannah and I don't think many people know that's her middle name. I much prefer Savannah to Sara, but oddly I can see her using both names and having them both fit well.

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Comments

[aimeewins.livejournal.com]

I know a guy named Ethan Kyle, he is Ethan in his personal life and Kyle in his professional life. Ethan suits him much better...

Likewise I have a friend named Teresa Andrea who is Andrea to close friends and family but Teresa to everyone else. When I worked with her it threw me off every single time someone called her Teresa because Andrea fits her so much better.

I also have an uncle named Patrick Thomas who goes by Tom/Tommy. I could never see him as anything else...

[aimeewins.livejournal.com]

On the other hand, my cousin's ex husband is Jonathan Todd, goes by Todd, but I think he would be better suited as Jonathan.

[http://users.livejournal.com/___heyvanity/]

Off the top of my head I can think of a few...

I know a Phillip Edward who goes by Ed all the time. I've heard people call him Phil but he justs asks them to use Ed. I like Ed better but Phil isn't a terrible name or anything!

I grew up with a girl named Wilmet. Later I found out that her name was Leslie Wilmet and she decided to go by Wilmet. It wasn't until I knew her for awhile that I found it out and I'm assuming she legally changed it at some point. I prefer Leslie to Wilmet although Will was a cute nickname.

[devonrexlvr.livejournal.com]

My husband does, Kurt Vaughn, he goes by Kurt professionally and Vaughn personally for the most part. I prefer Vaughn but he really looks like he could go by either. I have a friend Ashley Michelle, she always goes by Michelle and it really suits her better than Ashley.

[winterjameson.livejournal.com]

My friend Steve does, but that's because he hates his first name Earl. Which one fits him better can go either way; it usually depends on his attitude at the time. :-)

I had another friend who did that, Robert Brett, but that seemed to be because he was named after his father and it was a way to differentiate between them. He was definitely a Brett though.

[earn-my-wings.livejournal.com]

Steven definitely seems much better than Earl ;)

[lipsty.livejournal.com]

At uni, I didn't know my housemate was called Vaughn, as he always went by Francois. I guess the name that you know someone by is the one that you think suits them.

[earn-my-wings.livejournal.com]

That's very true! If you've never known them to be called anything else, then even their own first name doesn't sound right if they've gone by their middle.

[fangirlism]

My grandfather went by his middle name (his name was Earlin Harold, he went by Harold/Hal), and I couldn't ever see him as anything but "Grandpa Hal" (even though I was 10 months old when he died.)

[eveyalecia.livejournal.com]

My mom is Laura Kathryn but she's been Katie since birth. On official documents she always signs "Laura K [lastname]." But no one ever calls her Laura, not even her dad.

I also have a friend who goes by his middle name Kaleb rather than his first name Michael. I think Kaleb does suit him better, but maybe just because that's what he introduced himself as and that's what I called him before finding out it wasn't his first name. He doesn't like Michael at all, and he doesn't like that he comes from a LONG line of Michael's (every firstborn boy in his family dating back generations).

[earn-my-wings.livejournal.com]

That's a good reason to go by a middle, then :)

[redfield79.livejournal.com]

My father is Olyn Steven...he goes by Steve and always has. :) he b hates his first name...i love it

[earn-my-wings.livejournal.com]

Olyn is a pretty rad name! I've never heard it before

[redfield79.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I love it. It's southern and he HATES it. So of course, we're naming our second boy that, if we have two boys. I love my dad to pieces, I don't understand why he hates htis name haha

[medamina.livejournal.com]

My friend's dad is Kenneth Malcolm, but goes exclusively as Malcolm which I only found out when picking up the family's mail one time they were away. I was so shocked because Malcolm suits him so well!

There were also about twelve Jessicas in my school year, and one of my best friends got so tired of being Jessica M (one of four!) that she started going by Louise or Lou, and now I can't imagine her as Jessica at all.

[earn-my-wings.livejournal.com]

Lou is a cute nn for Louise. I have a friend Louise who goes by Lou also :)

[mrsduryee.livejournal.com]

Louise as a middle name really redeems Jessica as a first name. Jessica Louise is really nice!

[medamina.livejournal.com]

I agree. When she was little her grandmother used to call her "Jessica Lou" which I thought was adorable!

[smallandneedy.livejournal.com]

One of my mom's friends from school has 4 kids who go by their middle names. I only remember 3 of them right now: Anne Margrete - goes by Margrete. Ingvild Camilla - goes by Camilla. Eirik Magnus - goes by Magnus. They have another brother as well but I can't for the life of me remember his name.

And my grandpa went by his middle name! He was named Ditlef Erling but hated Ditlef.

[earn-my-wings.livejournal.com]

That's so interesing. WHy even give them all first names that don't want to be used? Must be a family thing or something

[smallandneedy.livejournal.com]

Yeah I think it might be. If I remember correctly their dad's name is Per Inge but he goes by Inge. My mom told me the story once about why they go by their middle names but I don't remember it.

[heyskeleton.livejournal.com]

My mum's friend goes by her middle name, Dawn, as she hates her first (Elizabeth). I had a friend in high school who went by her middle name, as when she was little, there were three girls in her family's immediate social circle with similar names (off the top of my head I think they were Elissa, Melissa and possible Alyssa), and her brother got confused, so they started referring to her as Chloe.

[pleasure-past.livejournal.com]

I know a Kristen Alexandria and an Abigail Kaylee who both go by their middle names. When I really think about it, the latter seems more like an Abigail to me than a Kaylee, but I've only ever known her as Kaylee, so... *shrug* I think both Alex and Kristen suit the first girl fine, but again, I've only ever known her as Alex. I also go to school with a James Stuart who goes by his middle name, but apparently that was a decision he made on a whim when he started college, and his entire life up until that point he went by James. I think both suit him fine.

[stacyinthecity.livejournal.com]

My ex husband went by his middle name for family and friends who knew him in school. People who met him as adults (including me) used his first name. This is because he has the same name as his dad, so he went by his middle to avoid confusion in the family.

I'm sure he really seemed like his middle name to people who knew him as that and first name for people who knew him as that.

[how-obscure.livejournal.com]

One of my grandpas was John Nichols, and he always went by Nick.

I also know a guy who used to be Sean Anthony and started having everyone call him Tony during his teens because he hated his first name. Eventually, he got his name legally changed to Anthony Giovanni, and he still goes by Tony.

[starcrossed.livejournal.com]

Totally! My name is one of ten children and most of them go by their middle names (for whatever reason!)
Alfred John (known as John)
Leslie Rita (known as Rita)
and Selena Jane (known as Jane- Selena is a big family name with lots of Selena's so I guess they just called her Jane so people knew who they were talking about!)

[mini-vulpini.livejournal.com]

I know someone who uses her middle name with family and very old friends (because her parents called her by it in her childhood) and her first name with everyone she's met since college. Both names suit her, but I think her first name is a better match to her personality.

I also know a family with 4 daughters all named Maria R___ who always went by their R middle names and eventually legally dropped the Maria when they each turned 18.

[earn-my-wings.livejournal.com]

I would HATE to have the same first names as my siblings! How awful :(

[mini-vulpini.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I think it was a religious thing for them, but it caused a mess in their documents and they never knew who official mail was for until they opened it. That's why all the girls dropped Maria as soon as they legally could.

[opalgirl28.livejournal.com]

This seems to have been really common among the older generation (like, just pre-baby boomers): Two of my great-uncles were James Eldridge and Delbert Dalton, and went by Eldridge and Dalton, respectively.

Two of my great-aunts are Emma Rebecca and Annie May, and they're known as Beckie and May. Aunt May I can't--just can't--see as an Annie, but Emma would suit Aunt Beckie just as well. Another aunt's husband and my great-granddad used their middle names almost exclusively. ex. before I started digging around in genealogy and talking to people, I couldn't have told you that my great-granddad's legal first name was George, and very few people probably could.

[earn-my-wings.livejournal.com]

I wonder why that is...maybe because tradition was stronger with the older generations and they wanted to honor family members and ancestors with first names whether they liked them or not?

[charuby.livejournal.com]

My dad's name is William but he goes by his middle name, Leslie, Les for short. Les definitely suits him more.

[cremepuff.livejournal.com]

I knew a James Timothy who went by Tim, a John James who went by Jimmy, and a Sheila Princess who went by Princess. Also, I have an uncle named Owen Patrick, but he's always been Uncle Pat. It just suits him much better than Owen!

[cremepuff.livejournal.com]

Almost forgot. My grandpa's sister was Mary Jane, but she went exclusively by Jane...most likely because there were already a ton of Marys and Margarets in the family. Oh, those Irish Catholics.

[jordle.livejournal.com]

My Dad goes by his middle name Grant. His first name is Michael and he only uses it for legal stuff. It wasn't planned but when he was a child someone started calling him Mikey and my grandmother hated it so she started calling him Grant. My Dad is such a Grant. Its so funny when he refers to himself as Michael.

He hates it though. Going by his middle name causes more trouble than its worth.

[brittmarie.livejournal.com]

We have two Karens in our office, so one actually uses her maiden name - Kelly. It suits her really well, better than Karen, and the transition wasn't hard for her because her friends used to call her that in high school because they had multiple Karens in their circle of friends.

I also know an Alina Julia, who goes by Julia, but she is so exotic and beautiful that I really think Alina fits her better. Julia is so.. Plain in comparison. It just doesn't suit her at all.

[spookymrsboo.livejournal.com]

My brother is Charles Joseph, but goes exclusively by Joe or Joseph.

[kindaouttaluckk.livejournal.com]

My boyfriend is Lawrence Adrian but goes by Adrian. Suits him much better. I still call him Lawrence when he's in trouble though lol

[blueorange94.livejournal.com]

My dad's legal name is Donald Michael Alexander, but he goes by Mike/Michael. My mom's side of the family has the Catholic convention of every first name being Marie or Joseph, but my mom goes by Suzanne (her middle name). I also know a guy named Eric Morgan, but he's gone by Morgan as long as I've known him (10+ years).

[laminy.livejournal.com]

I know one; she goes by Clare, but her first name is Stefanie. Personally, I think Clare suits her much much better.