Research has revealed the most popular middle names for girls and boys.
The latest study, conducted by Ancestry.com, shows that many of the middle names parents select for their children are based on heritage, rather than drawn from most popular baby names lists.
55 per cent of mums and dads said that their chosen middle name was in honour of a much loved family member, whilst 15 per cent revealed that the name had run in the family for generations.
It's therefore unsurprising that the most popular middle names for girls and boys are often traditional names. In fact, half of parents reported studying lists of top names to avoid selecting more common choices for their child.
However, surprisingly, if you were welcoming your baby a hundred years ago, it's unlikely that you would have bothered picking out a middle name at all!
Miriam Silverman, UK Content Manager from Ancestry, explains: 'It seems that middle names are a relatively new phenomenon, having only become the norm over the last hundred years - driven by the desire to commemorate well-loved ancestors.
'This will have become particularly prominent in society following the two World Wars. These wars affected the entire country and resulted in millions of Britons commemorating their lost loved ones as new babies were born in the years following the conflicts.
'As a result, middle names are less likely to follow popular culture and more likely reflect age-old traditions or names that were popular in our parents' or grandparents' generation - hence the very traditional make up of today's top 10 middle names.'
Want to know if your child's middle name is on the most popular list? Read on...
Most popular middle names for girls
1. Louise 2. Rose 3. Grace 4. Jane and Elizabeth (joint fourth place) 5. Anne/Ann 6. May/Mae 7. Marie 8. Mary 9. Amy and Catherine (joint ninth place) 10. Kate and Victoria (joint 10th place)
Most popular middle names for boys
1. James 2. John 3. William 4. Thomas 5. David 6. Robert 7. Edward 8. Peter or Lee (joint eight place) 9. Christopher or Alexander (joint ninth place) 10. Michael or Daniel (joint 10th place)
Does your child's name feature on the list above, or did you go for something different? Let us know in the comments below!
