cleverlane t1_iwua1zt wrote
Why do old timers always have a middle initial in there?
We never refer to Musk with his middle initial. Or Gates, etc…
If you didn’t put the F. would we think it’s some other Charles Brush?
Bierbart12 t1_iwucbb5 wrote
It depends on how you make yourself known. Like Samuel L. Jackson. There definitely are more modern examples
[deleted] t1_iwug8ze wrote
[deleted]
RetroMetroShow t1_iwugpt2 wrote
Also with common names they need the middle initial like actor Michael B Jordan (not the hoops GOAT) and there was already another Sam Jackson in the actors guild so he added the L
Zran t1_iwuqy9n wrote
David Tennant is known as such for the same reason
RetroMetroShow t1_iwut19k wrote
Also Michael Keaton’s name was Michael Douglas so he had to switch too
series_hybrid t1_iwvfd3a wrote
Irving Rhames wanted to register with the screen actors guild, but someone else already used that name, so...he is now "Ving Rhames"
scooterboy1961 t1_iwvp2my wrote
Movie and TV actors often have a middle initial because the Screen Actors Guild will not allow two actors with the same name.
skccsk t1_iwv467x wrote
With actors, it's generally because another actor with that name is already registered with the actor's guild.
poralexc t1_iwumg9q wrote
David S. Pumpkins
thespeedster11 t1_iwv8qlb wrote
Any questions?
LipTrev t1_iwug5n1 wrote
If you are named after family members the only differentiation possible some times are the middle initial.
Some country somewhere had this issue when a father and then a son became prime ministers basically one after the other.
murderosa t1_iwvw9bm wrote
Often solved by using jr and sr. Or i, ii, iii, iv, etc.
Ive known several ppl just go by ‘junior’ as a name
Cetun t1_iwx7vee wrote
That's if they have the exact same name. George Edward Foreman Sr. named all of his 5 sons George Edward Foreman. The first one aquired Jr. status and the next 4 became II, III, IV, and V.
If they have a different middle name then they use middle names such as George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush.
Sometimes they will refer to H. W. Bush as Bush Sr. for short but they wouldn't in any official reference such as "George H. W. Bush Sr."
LipTrev t1_ix1rxtw wrote
Additionally in the US, those last bits are part of the legal name, or can be.
Galaghan t1_iwuao8n wrote
Because it's what they were/are known as.
JarbaloJardine t1_iwudkx9 wrote
A lot of Lawyers do middle initial in formal documents. I think it makes us feel fancy
Nunyazbznz t1_iwurmv1 wrote
I'm not an old timer. I just like the way my name looks when my middle initial is there it has a flow to it.
Also, I was taught to always use my middle initial by the old timers when I was a kid and it's stuck.
swgpotter t1_iwuzurk wrote
If you're named after your father, like George W Bush, it's pretty common.
Careful_Yannu t1_iwv0bul wrote
It used to be a popular naming scheme, especially among Scottish immigrant families, to insert a false middle initial that doesn't stand for anything. IIRC Hunter S Thompson is an example.
CarlMetzger t1_iwubw8d wrote
That was a thing even when I was growing up. If you have a middle name it is a specific way of identifying yourself. People also took pride in their (cursive) signatures and was an art form. Now it's not even taught in school
382Whistles t1_iwxr4vx wrote
Better question might be why we didn't continue with it for better individual identification when the population has only grown.
There were 4 people in our school with the exact same first and last names.
My dad and his cousin shared the exact same 3 names, in the same town, and at the same jr & high school, in the same grade. (nobody knew what names had been chosen).
The initial is useful. So is descendant numbering. E.g. "Thurston Howell the 3rd", or "Jr."
raytaylor t1_ix2zlnj wrote
Often named after their parents/grandparents.
For example I am
Raymond R Taylor while my grandfather is
Raymond A Taylor
Its how you would tell us apart - especially if we worked in the same trade or occupation.
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