We have used middle names to place our kids within their family, they are in some sense family names. Common uses of middle names in the UK include to give a c

We have used middle names to place our kids within their family, they are in some sense family names. Common uses of middle names in the UK include to give a child a name of a God-parent or other significant non-family person, or to record the mother's maiden name, or to give an alternative name a child can use (if they prefer that name) later in life without having to change their name, or to disambiguate (John Frederick Smith, son of John David Smith, son of John James Smith -- they might all go by John outside of the family and be Freddy, Dai, and Jim at home, for example). Middle names (especially unusual ones) make name collisions much less likely.