Choosing what to call your baby is not easy, but in recent years parents are seemingly opting for more unusual first names and taking inspiration from popular culture. This year’s predictions of popular baby names include Ines or Moana for a girl, and Gunther or Cassian for a boy, however, parents are sticking to tradition when picking middle names.
According to a new study by Ancestry UK, the most popular middle names are the ones that have been in circulation for centuries. They include Louise, Rose and Grace for a girl, and James, John and William for a boy.
The concept of middle names is actually quite modern. The study found that in 1911 only 37 percent of children had middle names, while 80 percent of children nowadays are graced with one.
'It seems that middle names are a relatively new phenomenon... driven by the desire to commemorate well-loved ancestors,' says Ancestry UK's Miriam Silverman.
'This will have become particularly prominent in society following the two World Wars,' Miriam continued. 'These wars affected the entire country and resulted in millions of Britons commemorating their lost loved ones as new babies were born in the years following the conflicts.
'As a result, middle names are less likely to follow popular culture and more likely reflect age-old traditions or names that were popular in our parents’ or grandparents’ generation—hence the very traditional makeup of today’s top 10 middle names.'
See the list of the most popular middle names. You probably have one of them...
Girls:
9.= Amy
9.= Catherine
10.= Victoria
10.= Kate
Boys:
8.= Peter
8.= Lee
9.= Christopher
9.= Alexander
10.= Michael
10.= Daniel
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