middle name

American  

noun

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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Etymology

Origin of middle name

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35

Example Sentences

Fernanda asked to be identified by only her middle name because of her immigration status.

From Salon • Mar. 24, 2026

“Even minor changes, such as to a middle name or abbreviation, can cause processing issues,” says Elizabeth Young, director of tax practice at the American Institute of CPAs.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

“It was almost like the system was taunting me,” said Alex, who is now a Cal State University graduate student and chose to use his middle name for fear of being targeted by immigration authorities.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 11, 2025

"People will say, 'that's an interesting middle name - what's the story there?'"

From BBC • Oct. 18, 2025

When referring to your grandmother or grandfather in Farsi, you simply put the word "Maman" or "Baba" in front of their first name, but my grandmother primarily went by her middle name.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi