from http://www.genealogy.com/rhonda041802.html A History of Middle Names Few Americans were giving their children middle names in the 17th century until the German immigrants introduced this naming custom to America. They were in the habit of giving their children two given names at baptism. The first given name was a spiritual name, often a favorite saint's name, and the second one, which would later be known as the middle name, was the secular name. The secular name, or "call name" was the name by which the child was known and the name used in legal records. It was not uncommon for the spiritual name to be the same for all the children of the same sex within the family. While the Germans would bring this custom to America, it was not until the early 19th century that the custom caught on with others. By the 1840s, it had grown into a popular practice. According to a study of college records, in 1840 about 92 percent of the students at Princeton had middle names. This custom would continue to grow and by World War I it was assumed that everyone in America had a middle name. As genealogists, we should be thankful for this practice and how it grew. Many middle names are family names and when combined with other research, these names can help in building a case of connection from one generation to another. This is especially true when the middle name of a child in one generation is obscure and matches the given name of the potential grandparent. In Conclusion So the next time you are working with ancestry, take a look at when middle names became prevalent in your tree. Does your family follow the traditions discussed here? See Rhonda's Previous Columns Rhonda R. McClure is a professional genealogist specializing in celebrity trees and computerized genealogy. She has been involved in online genealogy for fifteen years. She is the author of the award-winning The Complete Idiot's Guide to Online Genealogy , now in its second edition. She is the author of four how-to guides on Family Tree Maker . In late 2001, she wrote The Genealogist's Computer Companion . She is a contributing editor to Biography Magazine with her "Celebrity Roots" column and a contributing writer to The History Channel Magazine . Her latest book is Finding Your Famous and Infamous Ancestors . She may be contacted at [email protected] .