The Significance of Middle Names in India

Daily writing prompt

What is your middle name? Does it carry any special meaning/significance?

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In India, middle name is of father’s. Anywhere the name puts as “first name + middle name + surname”.

Surname generally gives us a clue, from where do we belong in India, like Krishnamurthi, Subramanyanam tell that person belong to South, Sharma, Gupta, from North, Dey, Bhattacharjee from East, whereas More, Joshi from West.

The above is in general way of looking at it. But the real power or any significance comes to the first name from the middle name.

In India there is a famous rhetoric “Tuze pata hai mera baap kaun hai”, [Do you know who my father is]. This sentence underlines the importance of middle name.

When we were kids, whenever someone asked us the name, we used to tell the full name -Vijaykumar Bhaurao Bhoyar. If someone missed the middle name or father’s name, the person angrily used to say, “do you feel shame taking your father’s name?”.

By the time I graduated, I loved the new circular to add mother’s name as well in the middle name. When I saw my degree certificate along with my mother’s name as well, I really felt nice.

Today is woman’s day, I think that is a big tribute to mothers.

There are few businessmen in India, who proudly add mother’s name as the middle name.

Whatever it may be mother’s or father’s name, the middle name matters a lot.