middle name

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noun

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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CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of middle name

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35

Words nearby middle name

Middle Low German, middleman, middle management, Middlemarch, middlemost, middle name, middle-of-the-road, Middle Palaeolithic, Middle Palisade, middle passage, Middle Path

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use middle name in a sentence

His middle name comes from Henry Mayo Newhall, who traveled to California in 1850 with the miners to strike it rich, and did, in land and railroad speculation.
The ballad of the Chowchilla bus kidnapping|Kaleb Horton|July 23, 2021|Vox
“’Stress’ is the middle name of my title right now,” Kumar said in the latest episode of the Digiday Podcast.
IPG’s Arun Kumar says the time has passed for the ad industry to regulate itself|Tim Peterson|June 22, 2021|Digiday
The reporting about the teenager identified as Grace, her middle name, prompted protests and a grassroots social media campaign calling for her release, as well as calls by members of Congress for a civil rights investigation.
After Grace’s Story, Michigan Will Study Its Juvenile Justice System|by Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica, and Dave Boucher, Detroit Free Press|June 9, 2021|ProPublica
Her middle name, Diana, was chosen to honor her beloved late grandmother, The Princess of Wales.
Meghan and Harry Welcome Baby Daughter, Named for Queen and Diana|Tom Sykes|June 6, 2021|The Daily Beast

If you’re expecting an unbiased take on anything to do with “A River Runs Through It,” I should disclose that my son’s middle name is “Maclean.”
The backstory for ‘A River Runs Through It’ has arrived, 45 years later|Nick Ehli|June 3, 2021|Washington Post
Middle-name-free passport in hand, Kawalek boarded a flight to Israel the next day.
A Gay Jewish Zionist American Doctor in Gaza and What He Saw|Itay Hod|September 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The reason IMC was less than thrilled about sending Kawalek into Gaza was his middle name, Zvi.
A Gay Jewish Zionist American Doctor in Gaza and What He Saw|Itay Hod|September 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They told me that if I could get a new passport without my middle name in it, they would be willing to consider it.
A Gay Jewish Zionist American Doctor in Gaza and What He Saw|Itay Hod|September 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Grossman recruited Noel Stookey instead, who henceforth went by his middle name Paul.
Fact Vs. Fiction in ‘Inside Llewyn Davis’: The Real Story of Folk is Far Less Dejected Than the Movie|Jimmy So|December 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Barzee married Smart to Mitchell—her new name was Shearjashub, but she preferred her new middle name, which was Esther.
Speed Read: 9 Revelations From Elizabeth Smart’s Memoir, ‘My Story’|The Daily Beast|October 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Cullen will be easily identified, as the middle name of Bryant.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
The eldest son of every daughter was called Gano, and Gano was given to each succeeding child for a middle name.
The Open Question|Elizabeth Robins
His maternal ancestors, from whom he received his middle name,—the Gerrisbes,—emigrated from England to this country in 1640.
The New England Magazine Volume 1, No. 3, March, 1886|Various
Ask your uncle if there wasnt a middle name somebody almost gave you once, and if there was use it.
Winona of the Camp Fire|Margaret Widdemer
Ah, of course, that middle name reminds me of something else.
The Terms of Surrender|Louis Tracy

British Dictionary definitions for middle name

middle name

noun

a name between a person's first name and surname

a characteristic quality for which a person is knowncaution is my middle name

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012