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ArchivesRe: Does anyone know why Japanese people in Japan do not have middle names?
in reply to a message by ninjato
You are correct; Japanese do not have middle names. It has nothing to do with kanji being "confusing"; middle names are simply not part of their culture. I don't think there is any reason beyond that.
ETA--One will occasionally encounter a Japanese national who seems to have a middle name, but this will not have been given in Japan at birth. Some Japanese Catholics take a Christian name as a middle name at confirmation, just as some American Catholics do. Also, sometimes when a baby is born to Japanese parents in the USA or another country, he or she will be given a middle name or middle initial because it seems to be "expected" (i.e. there is a space for it on the birth certificate). I know of one case in which Japanese parents, living in the USA temporarily, gave their baby the middle initial "C". It was just C on the birth certificate, not short for any name, but the parents explained that they chose C because the baby was born by Caesarian section.
ETA--One will occasionally encounter a Japanese national who seems to have a middle name, but this will not have been given in Japan at birth. Some Japanese Catholics take a Christian name as a middle name at confirmation, just as some American Catholics do. Also, sometimes when a baby is born to Japanese parents in the USA or another country, he or she will be given a middle name or middle initial because it seems to be "expected" (i.e. there is a space for it on the birth certificate). I know of one case in which Japanese parents, living in the USA temporarily, gave their baby the middle initial "C". It was just C on the birth certificate, not short for any name, but the parents explained that they chose C because the baby was born by Caesarian section.
This message was edited 6/18/2010, 9:30 PM
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