Babies are traditionally given a middle name. Typical middles for girls include Rose, Marie, Nicole and Katherine, while typical middles for boys include Michael, James, Stephen and Robert.

There are variations on this theme, of course: some babies are bestowed with multiple middle names, while others aren't given a full name, but a lone letter. (I even went to school with a girl whose middle name was simply the number 8!) Still, the vast majority of western parents give each of their children a single middle name.

But...what if you don't want to give your baby a middle name? Are you required to choose one anyway?

The answer is no--you aren't legally obligated to give your child a middle name. Most people do it, but that doesn't mean that everyone must. In fact, here are four possible reasons why a parent might want to forgo giving their child a middle name:

• Maybe the first name you picked out goes perfectly with your surname, and every middle name you've attempted to wedge between them has only detracted from the pairing. If you've discovered a fantastic first name for your baby and you aren't excited about forcing a middle name into the mix, then why bother complicating things?
  


• Maybe the first name you've chosen is a long, classic name (like Elizabeth or Alexander) that can be shortened a multitude of ways for daily use. Many people like middles that add some versatility to the overall name (in terms of formality and nicknames), but if you've got a forename that takes care of these angles already, a middle name might not be necessary.
  


• Maybe the middle names you've tried just aren't working. Names that have significance for you (e.g., family names) just don't sound right with the forename/surname combination you've selected, while the middle names that actually do sound good with it seem to be plucked at random out of the ether. In this case, instead of settling for a so-so middle name, you might want to skip it altogether.
  


• Maybe you want to buck the middle name trend. Not having a middle will make your child's name stand out (as middle names are basically ubiquitous) and hence make it unique.

If the idea of giving your baby a middle name isn't appealing (for whatever reason), please don't feel forced to choose one just because everyone else seems to be doing it. You aren't doing your child some sort of disservice by omitting the middle--after all, middle names are an option, not an obligation.