[...] Now, how would they announce my name? Would they use just one initial? If so, which one, the first, second or third? The second would technically be the middle initial. At the same time, others don’t just use their middle initials, but also their second initials. I guess either way, my name would still be “Elder Kim J. Siever”. [...]

Nice collection of scans, man.

Interesting history! My given name was pretty boring–no middle name at all.

My husband’s maternal grandfather’s family were originally from Canada (then moved to Rhode Island), and I know I’ve seen Benoit and Cloutier among his family names.

What’s with the five billion names? :)

When my 15 year old niece came to live with us I had to get a copy of her birth certificate and we discovered her middle name was different that she thought it was. She wasn’t happy.

Incredible, thanks.

” What’s with the five billion names? :)”

A French Canadian Catholic background :),

Okay, so I missed something. How did “Ben” become “Benoit”? What a fascinating story! My son has two middle names, and he goes by a derivative of his first given name, so he’ll have some complexity to deal with, too. Have you ever spoken to your parents about why they were so inconsistent on records?

On a related note, one of my sisters decided in elementary school that she wanted the middle name “Elizabeth” (may parents didn’t give her a middle name), and began adding it to her standardized tests at school. It caused some real confusion down the line!

Good question, Rosalynde. One I have asked myself often. I have my theories, but I’ll wait to see if my mum (who is a poster on Our Thoughts) responds.

Note to self: When naming any future offspring, remember this story and stick to a first a middle and a last.