Middle name pride day

Middle Name Pride Day is a day commemorating "middle" names, the second as well as third or additional given names common in much of the English speaking world. "Middle Name Pride Day" is not an official government holiday. However it is listed in the standard library reference book, "Chase's Calendar of Events." [ [http://www.amazon.com/Chases-Calendar-Events-Annual/dp/0809227762 Amazon.com: Chase's Calendar of Events Annual (Chase's Calendar of Events): Contemporary Books,Chase: Books ] ] [Pages 155 and 162 in the 2008 Edition ] .

According to "Chase's Calendar of Event's," "Middle Name Pride Day" falls in March on the Friday of "Name Pride Week" which occurs in the first full week of March. Many sources mistakenly claim that "Middle Name Pride Day" "always" falls on some particular date, such as this "St. Louis Post Dispatch" article [ [http://www.namenerds.com/uucn/stlouisarticle.html Wanna make something of it ] ] and this one from the Oakland Tribune [ [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20070309/ai_n18712364 Pride in middle names takes center stage today | Oakland Tribune | Find Articles at BNET.com ] ]

Most sources, including Chase's, note that the proper way to celebrate "Middle Name Pride Day" is to take pride in your middle given name [s] and to reveal it [them] to at least three other people.

Motivation

The motivation for a "Middle Name Pride Day" likely stems from the stereotypically low status of middle given names.

"Middle names" in pop culture are commonly ignored and even ridiculed. Many people merely indicate their middle given name in their signature by an initial. [example: "John T. Smith" rather than "John Thomas Smith"] . Harry S. Truman's middle name however, actually was the letter S.

Middle given names are often assumed to be odd, embarrassing, or obscure. U.S. President Richard Nixon's middle name, "Milhouse", is a common example of a stereotypically odd middle given name. Recently U.S. presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama's middle name, Hussein, has become an example of a well-known middle name.

In fact, many people including well known politicians, movie stars and other celebrities are known by their middle given names rather than their first given names. That fact has not changed the negative stereotype and is apparently not well known. Examples of famous people who prefer a given name other than their first include Richard D. Earnhardt, Robert T. Turner, Dorothy F. Dunaway and John E. Hoover. See a list of more examples [http://middlenamepride.blogspot.com/2008/02/list-of-dangerous-people-who-refused-to.html]

Another common misconception leading to the bad reputation of middle given names is that they are not "real" names at all and only first given names are "real names" or "legal names." In fact, in the U.S. at least, all given and family names recorded on a birth certificate or legally adopted thereafter are "legal" names. The misconception regarding the validity of given names other than the first one is often attributed to the adoption by government and other bureaucracies of the standard "first name, middle initial, last name" that is the norm for fill-in-the-blank applications and forms.

Overall, it is not difficult to see why most people might need a special day to invite them to enjoy "middle name pride."

Origins

The specific origins of Middle Name Pride Day are unclear. By one account it was created by Jerry Hill who is also credited in this account with the creation of "Name Pride Week" and "Name Tag Day." [ [http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:RuNGLf3O9R0J:library.fnsb.lib.ak.us/rooms/documents/html/062507.htm+%22middle+name+pride+day%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=92&gl=us&client=firefox-a 403 Forbidden ] ] Chase's reports this account of the origin of "Middle Name Pride Day."

References