Although it is customary for parents to give several first names to the child who has just been born, there is however no rule on the matter.
What if you gave meaning to your children’s second and third names? Many children bear the first name of their godfather, godmother or grandparents, but many couples demonstrate originality. Overview of these second and third names that are out of the ordinary.
1 A FAMILY TRADITION
There are family traditions that we are happy to perpetuate, and, it must be admitted, whose forgetting or contempt would make grandmothers and great-grandmothers jump. This is the case for the choice of certain first names in the civil status of newborns. The lucky one, in second or third position, is Mary, in honor of the Virgin . Indeed, what could be more beautiful than entrusting our newborn children to the tenderness of a mother? Saint Joseph , for boys, is also a small success with parents keen to honor the patron saint of fathers. In Belgium, Saint Ghislain is very popular, because he is invoked to protect infants from sudden deaths, childhood illnesses and convulsions.
2 A BEAUTIFUL COHORT OF SAINTS
Adding other first names to the usual first name allows the child to be placed under the patronage of other saints. Thus, some parents choose first names based on saints who are dear to them. The middle names given by Raphaëlle are those of great saints whose patronage they especially invoke: Saint Joan of Arc for their eldest and Saint Michael the Archangel for their second. “The patronage of the saint we choose as our middle name allows us to teach our children to pray to their patron saint for special causes that seem important to us: Saint Joan of Arc, pray for France, Saint Michael the Archangel , protect us from evil…”.
3 A WAY TO GIVE THANKS
It happens that during difficult pregnancies or childbirths, a particular saint is invoked. To give thanks after birth, some parents choose to give their child their first name. This is why we honor Saint Rita , invoked for desperate causes, Saint Colette or Saint Opportune , invoked by couples who encounter difficulties having children, or even… Heart! Eleanor says that her great-uncle had the joy of having Heart as his third name because after having had four girls, her great-grandmother, in despair, relied on the Sacred Heart of Jesus to have a boy. …and it was granted!
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4 PEOPLE WHO ARE DEAR TO US
As a tribute to certain people who are dear to us, it is a beautiful gesture to give their first name to a child. Thus Camille gave the first names of people dear to the heart of the couple, deceased, “who had great faith, so that they would watch over our little ones and be, in addition to their patron saint, an ally with the Good Lord” .
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5 INVOLVE THE GODFATHER AND GODMOTHER
Some parents offer the godfather and godmother to choose the second or third name. A way to involve them in their role and strengthen their spiritual fatherhood. Philippine testifies that she really enjoyed involving the godparents in this choice for their unborn godchild.
6 INTERNATIONAL FAMILIES
When the couple is multicultural, it is easy to give first names from different cultures. A way of emphasizing an attachment to another country or another tradition. Some globe-trotting parents say they give first names from the country where the child was born, which are sometimes simple translations of words that have meaning. Aurore thus gave Louzolo as a middle name to their son, which means love, and Elikia to their daughter, which means hope.
7 A WELCOME OUTLET
Whether it’s your partner who hates the first name that you adore or your sister-in-law who has already given it to her eldest, the middle name offers the opportunity to satisfy your desires. There can also be a form of playfulness, even calculation, in the couple. It happens that one of the spouses tolerates first names in the second or third position that they do not want to hear about in the first name. While pleasing his partner, he ensures that he is no longer able to give it away for possible future births…
