middle name

American  

noun

• middle names
  plural

1. the part of a person's name occurring between the first and family names, as a second given name or a maternal surname.

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middle name British  

noun

1. a name between a person's first name and surname

2. a characteristic quality for which a person is known

   caution is my middle name

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• middle names
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of middle name

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

middle name

Like many Muslim men, El-Sayed's middle name is Mohamed, but he does not use it publicly.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

When it came time to fill out her SAG documents, she went with that name instead of Danielle or Fabiola, her middle name.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

To get a sense of what this means for Alaska voters, try to recall offhand: What’s Chuck Schumer’s middle name?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

Stella's daughter, Caitlin-Rose, and Bob's daughter Caitlin, whose middle name is Rose, both set off for school and never came home.

From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2026

“That’s my middle name, too,” Miss New Mexico said.

From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray

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