John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt—I Have Four Names, Too!
If you can't settle on a single name, why not use two or three or even four? Actually, four names are turning up on lots of birth certificates these days, and it can be a great way of satisfying all the family factions. Consider these foursomes from our case studies:
Gabriel Rush Walker Reyes
Jasper James Walker Reyes
Cole Thomas Kusnierz Compton
Kadence Petra Raine Drogo
Emeline Scout Carina D'Antonio
Samuel Gehrig Maximus D'Antonio
For us, giving our sons two surnames (Walker and Reyes) was a way of keeping Whitney's surname in the family without giving up the coveted middle name slot, which we wanted to use to honor grandparents. Lynn Kusnierz and Mark Compton also gave both of their surnames to their son, while Lynn and Jim Drogo chose one middle name from each side of the family for their daughter. Finally, the D'Antonio twins ended up with four names because they came early and Dave and Ann still had a long list to choose from in the hospital. "We kept crossing off names for one reason or another," Ann says, "but whatever was left just went onto the birth certificate!"
Gabriel Rush Walker Reyes
Jasper James Walker Reyes
Cole Thomas Kusnierz Compton
Kadence Petra Raine Drogo
Emeline Scout Carina D'Antonio
Samuel Gehrig Maximus D'Antonio
For us, giving our sons two surnames (Walker and Reyes) was a way of keeping Whitney's surname in the family without giving up the coveted middle name slot, which we wanted to use to honor grandparents. Lynn Kusnierz and Mark Compton also gave both of their surnames to their son, while Lynn and Jim Drogo chose one middle name from each side of the family for their daughter. Finally, the D'Antonio twins ended up with four names because they came early and Dave and Ann still had a long list to choose from in the hospital. "We kept crossing off names for one reason or another," Ann says, "but whatever was left just went onto the birth certificate!"
