Lost in transit

I have two middle names (Christianus Maria), so overhere in the States it's always Ronald C. van der Putte, which sounds strange to me.
On our marriage license they had to leave the blanks out of my last name because they needed to fit my middle names in.
So I don't know if I'm officially married :)

My parents went a step further and didn't even bother to give my brother and I a middle name. So when I tell you my name, that's it.

There's no scythe wating to chop off my head if I even so much as whisper the middle initial.

I have a friend who was thrilled when she got married (well, obviously...) in part because it meant she could drop the middle name she despised and replace it with her maiden name.

Of course, I have another friend whose parents didn't give their girls middle names at all, in preparation for that to happen when they got hitched.

As for me, I just have the exact same middle name as approximately 1/4 to 1/3 of the women in America. Any guesses?

I understand many Americans name their children after themselves (talk about egotism) so they have to include the middle initial as that's the only thing to distinguish them. Look at the two George Bush's, for example. I mean, could you tell them apart without the presence of that W?

Even weirder, I think, is the American way of using a first initial and a full middle name, like B. John Middleton or something like that. That *really* sounds silly. Fortunately I'm blessed with only one first name.

The Junior/Senior thing is never done here in NZ, either. My brother was named after my dad, including the same middle name, so my brother was a Junior and my father had Senior attached to the end of his name. Fortunately my brother didn't carry this on - he gave his son a completely different name.

Sarah - As to guessing your middle name. Anne? Marie? How about Emma?

Do women still take their husband's last name these days? I am so out of touch.

As an occasional jury keeper making an affirmation the other day, I (unconsciously?) dropped my second middle name (my maiden name kept in absence of males in the family, or just in case my marriage in Kashmir isn't kosher ;s). I only thought of it too late to upset my composure, or I'm too sensitive about looking pretentious, or something. :oD

I relate to this, deb, and all, because my hubby's surname is the only one in Australia, and we and our son are the last with the surname. It's a re-spelt Irish surname (can't find the original spelling!) due to an English immigration error a couple of hundred years ago. I'm Lost in Transit by proxy, but seemingly only 'officially'. :)

My turn to guess: Sarah Jane?

As the son of an Egyptian father and Danish mother, both my first and last names are unusual enough that I don't have to bother with using a middle name to stand out from the crowd.

On top of that, an awkward English translation of an already uncommon Arabic name, in an immigration bookkeeping error similar to the one orphia described, ensures that nobody else outside of my immediate family has my last name. So, more than likely, I am the only "Sharif Ewees" in the world...why confuse people further with the middle initial? ;-)