Did people born in Ireland have middle names or was that something that started in the US? This is about Catholics: I think that the Irish have had middle names for a long while, even in Ireland, as the middle name is usually given at baptism. I don't know about Ireland, but in the US a Confirmation Ceremony is done about 14 years of age, at which we take another name. These names are usually names of saints of certain characteristics that we wish to attach to ourselves for lifetime guidance. Typically, the name given at baptism becomes the middle name, and the Confirmation name is important within religious ceremonies. My father was Richard Charles James Daly. He only went by Richard Charles Daly.