Are Four-Named Babies the Newest Trend?

January 7, 2009

Trends come in threes or is it fours? Last week's births of Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O'Connell's twins, Dolly Rebecca Rose O'Connell and Charlie Tamara Tulip O'Connell, as well as Bristol Palin's baby, Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston, I think we may be on to something - the four-named child. These new parents aren't the only ones around Hollywood (and Alaska) to jump on the bandwagon. Over the past year we have welcomed Zuma Nesta Rock Rossdale, Sunday Rose Kidman Urban and Harlow Winter Kate Madden. For many, it is hard enough to pick out two names, I can't imagine having to choose a third!
Will we be seeing more babies with four name monikers in the future?

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47 Comments

2 years 1 week

My mom had 2 middle names; she was the last so they gave her names of the three aunts that didn't already have a kid named after them. She later dropped them both and uses her maiden name as her middle name. My child has 2 middle names, 2nd one is my last name. Except for birth certificate & passport, I expect to only use one middle name on most forms, etc. When kid is older can decide which, if either, to use. I have 1 middle name, but use it only when required.

SpeakLike aChild 4 years 18 weeks

What would generational name be? Sorry if it's a stupid question, but English is not my first language.

starflyer 4 years 19 weeks

A traditional Chinese name has 3 characters... surname, generational name and given name. My kids have an "American" first name, and their middle names include their Chinese generational & given names. So they have 4 names... like my husband and like me. It's very common if you're Chinese.

AppMtn 4 years 19 weeks

Once upon a time, very few people had even one middle name. It's only in the 20th century that most parents - at least in the US - started giving every child a first and a middle. As our planet gets more crowded, it seems natural that our names will get longer. It's also true that our families are getting smaller. If you want to honor his mom AND your mom and still choose a name that you like, well ... you'll end up with Emma Mary Dolores. In early generations, I think we'd have assumed there would probably be two daughters. But start your family at 35, and that's not so certain. In the interest of fairness, I know plenty of parents who opt for two middle names. My son has three names, but my daughter has four. I do think the total number of syllables is a consideration, too. My son's name has six, total - even with three names, my daughter only wears five syllables. And yes, we were trying to honor several important people - which is how Clio ended up with an extra name in the mix.

AppMtn 4 years 19 weeks

Once upon a time, very few people had even one middle name. It's only in the 20th century that most parents - at least in the US - started giving every child a first and a middle. As our planet gets more crowded, it seems natural that our names will get longer.It's also true that our families are getting smaller. If you want to honor his mom AND your mom and still choose a name that you like, well ... you'll end up with Emma Mary Dolores. In early generations, I think we'd have assumed there would probably be two daughters. But start your family at 35, and that's not so certain. In the interest of fairness, I know plenty of parents who opt for two middle names.My son has three names, but my daughter has four. I do think the total number of syllables is a consideration, too. My son's name has six, total - even with three names, my daughter only wears five syllables. And yes, we were trying to honor several important people - which is how Clio ended up with an extra name in the mix.

SpeakLike aChild 4 years 19 weeks

I don't think it's a trend. It's something very old, at least here in Argentina is very common for everybody to have 4 names (2 names and each parent surname)

Greggie 4 years 19 weeks

There's a lot ways it's been happening for a long time, cultural and otherwise. For instance, baptismal names. They're often added to the actual first and middle names, creating a second middle name. (Not always, just often.)My oldest son and my husband have no middle name. Since my husband didn't, we wanted to make my son a true junior and didn't give him one either. It's interesting to get people to leave that spot blank, but not a challenge or anything that would make me recommend against people using no middle name.

Greggie 4 years 19 weeks

There's a lot ways it's been happening for a long time, cultural and otherwise. For instance, baptismal names. They're often added to the actual first and middle names, creating a second middle name. (Not always, just often.) My oldest son and my husband have no middle name. Since my husband didn't, we wanted to make my son a true junior and didn't give him one either. It's interesting to get people to leave that spot blank, but not a challenge or anything that would make me recommend against people using no middle name.

Frank y Ava 4 years 19 weeks

If it's the mother's name as a second middle name no I don't think its a trend because people have been doing that for a while.

mhg 4 years 19 weeks

my 33-year-old husband has four names (two middle names), as does our son, who is a junior. my hubby is named after his maternal grandfather so he has that entire name and the last name of his dad. it does present a problem when monogramming things for my son, if i do a diamond monogram. i have to choose which middle initial to monogram. other than that, no problems. their passports have all their names and my hubby's credit cards have two initials instead of one. haven't encountered too many incoveniences

Greggie 4 years 19 weeks

valancy, my point is that I often have to choose one for my last name as well. I consider it a fact of life, not a problem.

PinkUnicorn 4 years 19 weeks

Oh and as far as the whole computer system debate, I have never cared for one second that I had to just use one initial rather than both...I guess I have always just had bigger things to worry about.

PinkUnicorn 4 years 19 weeks

As a four-named "baby" (27 year old baby!) I'm going to say not a trend!

gbychan 4 years 19 weeks

Yeah, beware of those initials. Soon stars will start coming up with acronym nicknames. :roll:

valancyjane 4 years 19 weeks

@Greggie: Yes, and I'm saying that choosing one initial is not acceptable to me. And if parents are so in love with multiple names that they give their baby two middle names, then I would think it wouldn't be acceptable to them either. Or maybe you live in a magical place where computer systems actually accept that not everyone is Jane Elizabeth Doe. Can I move there?

Lyv 4 years 19 weeks

I think it's beyond lame when people get their dad's last name but not their mom's. So everybody should have /at least/ three names. A fourth name.. well, sometimes it actually sounds good. Sometimes not. Like when parents decide to just randomly throw a "Maria" in there. (Thanks mom and dad :OY:)

mona777 4 years 19 weeks

I have 4 names! First name, middle name, two last names, I like it, and I don't think it's a new trend, maybe in Hollywood...

Artemis 4 years 19 weeks

This is definitely an issue which varies between cultures, but I believe that giving the baby two surnames (both mother's and father's) is only natural if the parents both keep their names and/or are not married. I insisted on giving our child two surnames, and although my husband did not like it, he agreed. I would feel strange if the child would only bear his name, as far as I have not changed my maiden name. We originally discussed giving our child two first names, but we decided against it because in the country where we live, it is very unusual. In my country of origin however, almost all young children have four names, two first names and (their parents') two last names. The big issue is of course what will happen to the next generation - will they have four surnames, or will they have to choose between some of their many names (at the risk of hurting parents and grandparents on each side). Not an easy question.

Greggie 4 years 19 weeks

I realize they're different than two middle names. One is middle names and one last names. The system itself handles both similarly, though.I've never known anyone with four names who has troubles with computer systems.

Greggie 4 years 19 weeks

I realize they're different than two middle names. One is middle names and one last names. The system itself handles both similarly, though. I've never known anyone with four names who has troubles with computer systems.

kikidawn 4 years 19 weeks

My sister has never had a problem with having 4 names. On her birth certificate in the "middle name" section it just says: Joy Valleece -- no hyphen or anything just two names listed. As far as having to pick a middle name for the computer system she just puts in Chelcee J Lastname if it only has space for one name. I jokingly told her to hyphenate her last name when she gets married - she thought it was hilarious but said no. I plan on hyphenating my name when we get married. Our kids will probably only have his last name but that isn't 100% set either so my daughter very well could end up with 5 names. Although we are leaning toward dropping her first name and just using the two middle names as her first and middle name.

kikidawn 4 years 19 weeks

My sister has never had a problem with having 4 names. On her birth certificate in the "middle name" section it just says: Joy Valleece -- no hyphen or anything just two names listed. As far as having to pick a middle name for the computer system she just puts in Chelcee J Lastname if it only has space for one name. I jokingly told her to hyphenate her last name when she gets married - she thought it was hilarious but said no.I plan on hyphenating my name when we get married. Our kids will probably only have his last name but that isn't 100% set either so my daughter very well could end up with 5 names. Although we are leaning toward dropping her first name and just using the two middle names as her first and middle name.

valancyjane 4 years 19 weeks

Greggie said: "Also, having two middle names is no more difficult for a computer system than a last name being two words. They just ask that you choose one letter." Yes, but two separate middle names are different than a two-word last name. I'm not First M. Last, I'm First M.M. Last. Bristol's son isn't Tripp E. Johnston, he's Tripp E.M. Johnston. But computer systems won't take two initials so they end up using a version of my name (or anyone's) that isn't correct.

MartiniLush 4 years 19 weeks

meandtheo, you are very correct. It is tradition in my husband's culture for kids to have 4 or 5 names, so our son has 4! :P

meandtheo 4 years 19 weeks

this is not just a celeb thing...in other countries it is the norm for children to have 4,5 or even 6 names my friend in Portugal just named his daughter Clara Abreu Loureiro Virote MXXXX. Not even long by Portuguese standards!

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