Why do Americans get double names?

Photo: depositphotos.com

The tradition of the second, or middle name (Americans) has developed relatively recently, in the 19 century. Up until the middle of the 18 century, second names are extremely rare in church records that record the birth, marriages, and deaths of residents of the British colonies in North America, says Irina Khruleva, an expert in early American history, the club My planet.

Only on the eve of the War of Independence (1775 – 1783) among the rich plantation families of Virginia (the so-called Virginia aristocracy) is the custom of giving a baptismal name to children, most often in honor of their close relatives. The maiden name of the mother or grandmother was also used as the middle name.

But this practice cannot be called popular: out of 56 people who signed the Declaration of Independence (1776), only 3 had a middle name. John Quincy Adams (6-th President of the United States, 1825 – 1829) became the first head of the American state, who received a middle name at birth (in honor of the maternal great-grandfather).

However, in the 1830 – 1840 years, the population of the United States has increased dramatically due to unprecedented immigration from Europe, and the tradition of the second name is spreading along with it.

Perhaps, the reasons for their practical nature played a role: there were many people in the country with the same names and surnames, and the second name served as a means of additional identification. True, unlike the previous period, children were now given second names in honor of famous political, religious, public figures and military (for example, George Washington, the first president of the United States, or John Wesley, one of the founders of Methodism).

The second name is already almost universally found in the army lists of the period of the Civil War (1851 – 1865) and especially of the First World War, in which the USA entered into April 1917 of the year.

Read also on ForumDaily:

From the first person. How does American parenting differ from ours?

Personal experience: Russian woman on the work of children's doctors in the United States

Personal experience. How I gave birth in America three times

30 reasons for the surprise of the immigrant

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.