middle name

Definition of middle name

1 : a name between one's first name and surname

2 : a term that is particularly apt to denote a person's qualities or affinities patience is her middle name

Examples of middle name in a Sentence

President John F. Kennedy's middle name was “Fitzgerald.”

Recent Examples on the Web Rini knew Timmothy's middle name and full date of birth. — Kevin Grasha, Cincinnati.com, "Man who pretended to be missing boy Timmothy Pitzen set to plead guilty in federal court," 6 Jan. 2020 Brandt and Botham Jean were raised in the Church of Christ in St. Lucia, and their mother, Allison, gave them biblical middle names -- Botham Shem and Brandt Samuel. — Eliott C. Mclaughlin, CNN, "Botham Jean's brother accepts award from police group and implores them to 'amplify the value of all lives'," 3 Dec. 2019 Wright adopted a new middle name, the first of many Welsh affectations. — Christopher Benfey, Harper's magazine, "Burning Down the House," 25 Nov. 2019 Burton, who went by his middle name, founded his company from his Londonderry, Vermont, barn in 1977, with 300 snowboards sold the first year. — BostonGlobe.com, "Jake Burton Carpenter, founder of the Burton snowboarding company and widely considered as the founding father of the snowboarding industry and lifestyle, passed away Wednesday evening in Burlington, Vermont, from testicular cancer complications, according to a company spokesperson.," 21 Nov. 2019 Glidewell, who goes by his middle name Darnell, now lives off a country road north of Corinth. — Emily Wagster Pettus, Fox News, "Mississippi could re-examine 1959 racial killing of teenager," 21 Aug. 2018 Amy The youngest March sister is based on the youngest Alcott sister Abigail May, who went by her middle name (Amy spelled backwards). — Olivia B. Waxman, Time, "The Real Family That Inspired Little Women," 11 May 2018 Puth ultimately correctly answered questions about Chandler’s middle name, Rachel’s prom date’s name and Joey’s stuffed-animal penguin’s name. — Los Angeles Times, "Charlie Puth proves he’s a ‘Friends’ superfan after Courteney Cox quizzed him," 17 Oct. 2019 The boy's middle name is Eduardo, named for the doctor who had saved the mother's life. — oregonlive, "The tragic, redemptive journey of one human heart," 5 Oct. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'middle name.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Learn More about middle name

Dictionary Entries near middle name

middle management

middle-of-the-road

middle of the road

Statistics for middle name

Last Updated

21 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Middle name.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/middle%20name. Accessed 24 January 2020.

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