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

Only the first and middle names of the defendants were revealed.

From BBC

Lee Claydon, 45, from Bournemouth and known to his family by his middle name Clive, fell from an upper level at the end of the show on 2 August.

From BBC

Yet in a tender new song like “Feel Something,” about longing to “be someone who doesn’t know your middle name,” Diaz’s singing reveals every bruise.

From Los Angeles Times

Hill Valley Mayor Red Thomas blares the same verbatim reelection slogan in 1955 as Mayor Goldie Wilson does in 1985 — “Progress is his middle name” — yet the town is in visible decline.

From Los Angeles Times

Elizabeth, a Greenville resident who asked to go by her middle name out of concern for her job, told Salon that the politicians pushing this legislation risk alienating young female voters.

From Salon