Passport "middle name" option?

FURET

I thought this would be the best forum to post this question in, as it's of genealogical significance.

We're currently expecting a baby and we would like to honor a few people in the baby's full name. I give the following example:

• Forename(s): Luke Patrick [Luke to honor my grandfather and Patrick to honor the maternal grandfather who died recently)
• Middle Name: San Michel [this would honor the mother's maiden name]
• Family Name: O'Connell

Now, per the Irish passport format, would I be forced into having the forename as "Luke Patrick San Michel", or is there a possibility to have a field on the passport explicitly for the middle name of "San Michel"?

Same question applies for the birth certificate.

We want to honor names but don't want to saddle the kid with a four-word Forename.

pinkypinky

I don't think official forms differentiate beyond forenames and surnames, so all the names bar your surname would be forenames.
It's only on official documents though so in day to day use, the baby will just be Luke X, surely?

FURET

pinkypinky wrote: »

I don't think official forms differentiate beyond forenames and surnames, so all the names bar your surname would be forenames.
It's only on official documents though so in day to day use, the baby will just be Luke X, surely?

Yes, in day-to-day use, but it might create a problem for things like plane tickets etc.

pinkypinky

I doubt it. Think about your own name...do you put your middle names on plane tickets? I don't, although my passport has a middle name on it. It's never a problem.

FURET

pinkypinky wrote: »

I doubt it. Think about your own name...do you put your middle names on plane tickets? I don't, although my passport has a middle name on it. It's never a problem.

It's a strange one. For me, what I in daily life consider my middle name is listed as a forename on my passport. So although I never use my "middle name" on a daily basis, because it is a forename on my passport I now see it on all plane tickets. And in the country where I live, all my documents, (identity card, drivers license, insurance card) all have my middle name printed on them, simply because it's part of my forename on my passport. This will be great for future genealogists but it's a nuisance for me.

pinkypinky

But the point here is that "middle names" are a construct because no one is addressed by all their forenames at once. We all only have forenames and surnames. Irish driving licences should have all legal names on them as should passports and birth certs but everything else is usually just your first forename and surname.

FURET

pinkypinky wrote: »

But the point here is that "middle names" are a construct because no one is addressed by all their forenames at once. We all only have forenames and surnames. Irish driving licences should have all legal names on them as should passports and birth certs but everything else is usually just your first forename and surname.

I think I know what you mean; it's true in an Irish context. But some cultures do have "middle names" specified explicitly on the passport - think of the Philippines for example. In such a case, where San Michel is noted as a Middle Name on the passport, you get away with only having to use the forename(s) on plane tickets and licenses.

FURET

My confusion stemmed from the fact that I didn't realize the passport name doesn't have to be the same as the birth certificate name. I assumed they had to be identical. Problem avoided.

Cork Lass

My first name is Mary but I have always been called by my second name. My second name is what's on my passport (actually, the shortened version of it is on the passport as that's what I've always been called) Never caused any problems.

Dricmeister

Personally I'd avoid anything that could cause confusion in the child's later life, whether in terms of travel or whatever...