History Main / MiddleNameBasis

[[folder:Real Life]]
* It's not exactly ubiquitous, but as the example show, it's also ''far'' less rare than you might think, for a variety of reasons including a more embarrassing first name, or a more unique and/or pleasant-sounding middle name.
* "[[UsefulNotes/TheProphetMuhammad Muhammad]]" (and its variants Mohamed, Mohammad, etc.) [[https://web.archive.org/web/20150704141938/http://www.presstv.com/detail/2013/10/30/332087/mohammed-worlds-most-popular-name/ has been cited by some research]] to be the most common first name in the world. In parts of the Muslim world, it goes beyond common to outright saturated, with up to nine out of ten men having it as part of their names. Men who are first-named "Muhammad" are expected to automatically be referred to by their middle names, keeping it as a sort of flipped middle name. Even in private, their families and friends also call them the same way, unlike in the western world, where first names are used in private no matter how common they are. And no wonder; it's not uncommon for a family to have ''all'' of their men have "Muhammad" as their first names.
* Basketball star UsefulNotes/StephenCurry goes by his middle name instead of "Wardell" — perhaps to differentiate himself from his father, former basketball player Dell Curry.
* There's Christopher Creator/AshtonKutcher.
* Also Edward Creator/MontgomeryClift. Yes, that was his actual name.
* And Mary Creator/AnissaJones.
* George Creator/OrsonWelles. Even ''he'' didn't know his first name was "George" until he was in elementary school.
* Creator/VCAndrews' real full name was Cleo Virginia Andrews, but went by her middle name in her personal life. Her publishing name also would have been Virginia Andrews, but was changed to the familiar 'V.C.' by her publishers right before the release of ''Literature/FlowersInTheAttic''.
* You might be surprised to know that Creator/ReeseWitherspoon's actual full name is Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon. She was also married to Matthew Creator/RyanPhillippe.
* The Fanning Sisters basically go by their middle names:
** Creator/DakotaFanning's first name is actually Hannah. This full name was actually a result of her parents battling on which name they should call her. Her mother wanted to name her Hannah, while her father wanted to name her Dakota.
** Following in her sister's footsteps, Mary Fanning actually chose to go by her middle name Creator/{{Elle|Fanning}}.
* Celine Buckens' actual first two names are Amelie Margaret.
* Examples from UsefulNotes/TheBritishRoyalFamily throughout history:
** UsefulNotes/QueenVictoria's first name was actually Alexandrina, which she disliked. Likewise, her husband Prince Albert was born Francis Albert August Charles Emanuel.
** Their son Edward VII was given the name Albert Edward, but chose to use this trope for his regnal name because he did not want to potentially sully his father's name.
** Edward VII's oldest son, Prince Albert Victor, who never succeeded to the throne as he predeceased both his father and grandmother, was known in his family as "Eddy", his full name being Albert Victor Christian Edward.
** Queen Victoria's grandson (and Edward VII's nephew) [[UsefulNotes/ImperialGermany Wilhelm II]] apparently continued this tradition, as his full name was Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert. His eldest son Crown Prince Wilhelm's full name was Friedrich Wilhelm Victor August Ernst, while his younger brother Prince Henry was also an example, his full name being Albert Wilhelm Heinrich.
** George V's wife, Queen Mary, had the full name Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes, with their daughter, whose full name was Victoria Alexandra Alice Mary, also being called Mary.
** Edward VII's grandson and George V and Mary's eldest son, Edward VIII, was familially known as "David", which was the ''last'' of his middle names. His full name was Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David.
** Edward VIII's brother Prince Albert (full name Albert Frederick Arthur George, nicknamed "Bertie") went the opposite direction and decided to reign as George VI, even though he had another brother called George.
** The first name of Creator/MeghanMarkle, Duchess of Sussex, is actually Rachel.
* Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. used his middle name, though not his last name, in his professional life. You likely know him as Music/JohnDenver.
* One of the young actors in the ''Series/{{Degrassi|TheNextGeneration}}'' franchise was credited under his real first and last names of Aubrey Graham. However, he decided to use just his middle name in what proved an even more successful music career as Music/{{Drake}}.
* Hayley Orrantia's first name is actually Sarah.
* As a singer, Jenny Amanda Katrina Jenssen chose to drop the first and third names to become Amanda Jenssen.
* Maria Ashley Drane is her birth name. Nowadays, with her married name, she just goes by Creator/AshleyEckstein.
* Music/FiveIronFrenzy's lead singer is (Michael) Reese Roper. He even lampshades it in the song "All the Hype": "My name is Reese, don't call me Mike!"
* (Sir) James Music/PaulMcCartney of Music/TheBeatles goes by his middle name, because his father was also named James ("Jim"). His younger brother Peter Michael [=McCartney=] goes by Mike in his professional career.
* The full name of the [[Music/TheMonkees Monkee]] who often wore a stocking cap is Robert Music/MichaelNesmith.
** Also, George Michael “Micky” Dolenz.
* Music/{{REM}} frontman John Michael Stipe instead goes by his middle name.
* Music/{{Rihanna}} goes by her middle name, rather than Robyn.
* As does Pierre Music/DavidGuetta.
* And Marie Music/DionneWarwick.
* The father-and-son pair of Music/HankWilliamsJr and Music/HankWilliamsIII both have "Hank" as their legal middle names; they're respectively Randall Hank and Shelton Hank Williams. By contrast, Hank Jr.'s father, the original Music/{{Hank|Williams}}, was born [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname Hiram Williams]].
* And a few years before the original Hank, you had Alton Music/GlennMiller.
* [[Creator/JRRTolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien]] went by "Ronald" and reportedly disliked the name "John".
* UsefulNotes/{{NASCAR}}:
** Denny Hamlin's actual first name is James.
** Ralph Dale Earnhardt went by his middle name to distinguish himself from his father Ralph Lee Earnhardt. The same goes for Dale's second son Dale Earnhardt Jr.
** Also William Caleb "Cale" Yarborough.
* ProfessionalWrestling has several examples:
** The ring name of Wrestling/ShawnMichaels is based on his real name of Michael Shawn Hickenbottom.
** Robert Booker Tio Huffman became Wrestling/BookerT.
** The full name of announcing veteran Wrestling/TonySchiavone is Noah Anthony Schiavone.
** [[Wrestling/{{Christian}} Christian (Cage)]]'s full name is William Jason Reso. Unscripted interviews show him being addressed as Jay by his peers. Even in his acting gigs, he is credited either as Jason Reso or Jay Reso.
** [[Wrestling/JackSwagger Jake Hager]] is in full Donald Jacob Hager Jr.
** Wrestling/RomanReigns' real name is Leati Joseph Anoa'i, but he goes by Joe in unscripted circumstances.
** [[Wrestling/MattCardona Matthew Brett Cardona]] originally wrestled as Brett Major.
** José Alberto Rodríguez Chucuan became Wrestling/AlbertoDelRio and Alberto el Patrón.
* Several MLB examples, including:
** William Lance Berkman
** Rik Aalbert "Bert" Blyleven
** William Roger Clemens
** Henry Louis [[Creator/LouGehrig "Lou" Gehrig]]
** Donald Zackary “Zack” Greinke
** George Kenneth "Ken" Griffey (both senior and junior)
** Harry Leroy "Roy" Halladay
** Edward Charles "Chuck" Knoblauch
** José Alberto "Albert" Pujols (Alcántara)
** Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr.
* The [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague NFL]] has examples of its own:
** Los Angeles Rams quarterback John Matthew Stafford goes by his middle name.
** Jon Steven "Steve" Young, Hall of Fame QB with the San Francisco 49ers.
** Michael Anthony Muñoz, the Hall of Fame offensive tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals.
** Elisha Archibald "Archie" Manning III, College Hall of Fame QB with the Ole Miss Rebels who had a long career on mediocre (or worse) NFL teams, most notably the New Orleans Saints. Better known by the current generation as the father of Creator/{{Peyton|Manning}} and Eli, neither of whom uses his middle name.
** Initially played straight but ultimately subverted by Baltimore Ravens linebacker Odafe Jayson Oweh. Oweh, whose first name is Nigerian as both of his parents are Nigerian immigrants, began going by his middle name in grade school because classmates teased him for his foreign-sounding name, played his college ball as Jayson Oweh, and was announced in the draft as Jayson Oweh, but after being drafted, he announced that he wanted to be known as Odafe Oweh for his professional career, saying announcers would just have to learn how to pronounce it.
** Darius Shaquille "Shaq" Leonard, a star linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts. He actually started his career being known as Darius Leonard as he wanted to take a "seen and not heard" approach in his first few years in the NFL. In July 2022, he finally came out and said that he'd been called Shaquille or Shaq his whole life in every other context and would like to be known by that name on the football field as well.
* Like many Catholic families, Saints Louis and Zelie Martin of Lisieux, France gave all of their nine children either Marie or Joseph for a first name. Of the five who survived childhood, only one was known as Marie. Sisters Pauline, Leonie, Celine, and Therese were addressed by their middle names.
* (Paul) Kevin Jonas from Music/TheJonasBrothers.
* Music/CamilaCabello's full name is Karla Camila Cabello Estrabao.
* (Michael) [[Music/NineInchNails Trent Reznor]] goes by his middle name, as Michael was his father's name.
* (Oliver) Taylor Hawkins was the drummer for Music/FooFighters from 1997 until his death in 2022.
* Actress Danielle Creator/RileyKeough also goes by her middle name.
* William Bradley Pitt is a variant since he's professionally known as Creator/BradPitt.
* Before Pitt, you had George Alexander Trebek, professionally Creator/AlexTrebek.
* And before Trebek, there was Jesse Donald Knotts, professionally Creator/DonKnotts.
* Creator/GrantGustin's first name is Thomas.
* Actor John William Ferrell professionally goes by Creator/WillFerrell.
* Sir Thomas Creator/SeanConnery.
* The white supremacist pundit Stephen Donald Black is better known as Don Black.
* The realist German writer Theodore Storm goes by his middle name instead of Hans.
* The director Ernst Creator/IngmarBergman.
* American politics apparently loves this trope:
** Have you ever heard of Presidents Stephen Cleveland, Thomas Wilson, or John Coolidge? No, then you might recognize them better by their respective middle names UsefulNotes/{{Grover|Cleveland}}, UsefulNotes/{{Woodrow|Wilson}}, and UsefulNotes/{{Calvin|Coolidge}}. In Coolidge's case, it was to differentiate himself from his father, also named John.
** UsefulNotes/UlyssesSGrant was born Hiram Ulysses Grant, though he was referred to as Ulysses in his youth. His more famous name came from a clerical error when he enlisted at West Point, as the congressmen who nominated him was unfamiliar with him and put the name Ulysses S. Grant on the nomination form, guessing that his middle name was Grant's mother's maiden name Simpson. Grant eventually adopted the name.
** UsefulNotes/DwightDEisenhower was originally named David Dwight Eisenhower, but was called by his middle name to differentiate himself from his father, also named David. Later he swapped the names around to become Dwight David Eisenhower. Interestingly, his namesake grandson Dwight David Eisenhower II, who would later become the son-in-law of UsefulNotes/RichardNixon, goes by his middle name David. David is the namesake of the presidential retreat Camp David.
** UsefulNotes/FranklinDRoosevelt's wife UsefulNotes/{{Eleanor|Roosevelt}} was born Anna Eleanor Roosevelt. Other First Lady examples include UsefulNotes/JimmyCarter's wife Rosalynn (first name Eleanor).
** Vice President UsefulNotes/DanQuayle, whose full name is James Danforth Quayle. Another Vice President, UsefulNotes/WalterMondale, was nicknamed Fritz, derived from his middle name Frederick. Yet another Vice President, UsefulNotes/SpiroAgnew, was reportedly nicknamed "Ted", derived from his middle name Theodore.
** Willard UsefulNotes/MittRomney. He goes by his middle name simply because he likes it.
** (John) Dennis Hastert, former Speaker of the House.
** UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy's brother-in-law, Peace Corps founder Sargeant Shriver[[note]]married to Kennedy sister Eunice[[/note]], was born Robert Sargeant Shriver Jr.
* Canadian politics has former prime ministers Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier, usually known as Wilfrid Laurier; Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, usually known as UsefulNotes/PierreTrudeau; Charles Joseph Clark, usually known as Joe Clark; Martin Brian Mulroney, usually known as Brian Mulroney; and Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien, usually known as Jean Chrétien. In addition, William Lyon Mackenzie King was also known as Mackenzie King.
* Former French Prime Minister Léon Blum's first name was André.
* Although called "Al" by his family, British Prime Minister [[OverlyLongName Alexander Boris De Pfeffel Johnson]] chose to be known as "UsefulNotes/{{Boris|Johnson}}" when he was much younger because it was more memorable, especially during the UsefulNotes/ColdWar.
** Other British Prime Minster examples include Mary Elizabeth [[UsefulNotes/LizTruss "Liz" Truss]], James UsefulNotes/GordonBrown, Leonard UsefulNotes/JamesCallaghan, James UsefulNotes/HaroldWilson, Maurice UsefulNotes/HaroldMacmillan, Robert UsefulNotes/AnthonyEden, Arthur UsefulNotes/NevilleChamberlain, James UsefulNotes/RamsayMacdonald, and Andrew UsefulNotes/BonarLaw.
* Several Australian Prime Minsters were examples. Malcolm Fraser's first name was John, Gough Whitlam's first name was Edward, Ben Chifley's full name was Joseph Benedict Chifley, and Chris Watson's full name was John Christian Watson.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'' actor Thomas Creator/ArthurDarvill (who went by "Tom" back when he was a presenter on [[Creator/{{ITV}} CITV]]).
* Walter Creator/BruceWillis.
* Music/KingsOfLeon: All four band members go by their middle names: Anthony Caleb, Ivan Nathan, Michael Jared, and Cameron Matthew Followill. The first three are brothers and Matthew is a cousin.
* Although she professionally goes by her full name, Creator/BethanyJoyLenz is known as Joy in her personal life.
* Creator/DrSeuss' pen name came from his full name being Theodore Seuss Geisel.
* Nicole Creator/EvangelineLilly.
* Clyde Music/JacksonBrowne.
* Creator/ThandiweNewton's full name is Melanie Thandiwe Newton; before 2021, she had been credited as ''Thandie'' Newton.
* Julius UsefulNotes/RobertOppenheimer.
* Creator/JudeLaw's full name is David Jude Heyworth Law. In fact, his use of this trope had accidentally got him assigned to a ''girls''' dormitory while at the National Youth Musical Theatre.
* The Website/YouTube celebrity Onision was born Gregory James Daniel, and went by Gregory for a long period until changing his name to James Jackson.
* Political cartoonist Ted Rall's first name is actually Frederick. Ted is short for his middle name of Theodore.
* Richard [[Music/BlindMelon Shannon Hoon]]. Again, Richard was his father.
* James Music/TravisTritt.
* Philip Creator/AnthonyHopkins
* Wilhelm Music/RichardWagner.
* Lisa Creator/OliviaMunn.
* Joseph Creator/RudyardKipling.
* Creator/SylvesterStallone was born Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone.
* Played with by Thomas Jacob Black, better known as Creator/{{Jack|Black}}.
* Katherine Matilda "Creator/{{Tilda|Swinton}}" [[Creator/TildaSwinton Swinton]].
* Eldred Creator/GregoryPeck.
* Charles Creator/RobertRedford Jr.
* Henry Creator/WarrenBeatty. (His original family name was Beaty, with one "t".)
* Karen Lucille "Creator/{{Lucy|Hale}}" [[Creator/LucyHale Hale]].
* Paul Benjamin "Creator/{{Ben|Mendelsohn}}" [[Creator/BenMendelsohn Mendelsohn]].
* Roberta Joan [[Music/JoniMitchell "Joni" Mitchell.]]
* The female half of the Music/CaptainAndTennille: Cathryn Antoinette "Toni" Tennille.
* Former Austro-Hungarian Crown Prince Otto von Habsburg's [[OverlyLongName full name]] was ''Franz Joseph Otto Robert Maria Anton Karl Max Heinrich Sixtus Xavier Felix Renatus Ludwig Gaetan Pius Ignatius von Habsburg''.
* Prince Christian Frederik Carl Georg Valdemar Axel of Denmark played this entirely straight by being known as "Carl"[[labelnote:*]] He had very little choice, considering he had an older brother whose first name was ''also'' Christian, the future King Christian X[[/labelnote]]... until 1905, after which he was King Haakon VII of Norway.
** His father Frederik VIII of Denmark was also an example; his full name being Christian Frederik Vilhelm Carl. Frederik's grandson and Christian X's son, Frederik IX's full name was Christian Frederik Franz Michael Carl Valdemar Georg.
** Frederick VIII's brother William, upon being elected King of Greece, took the regal name George I, with both names being an example of this, with his full name being Christian William Ferdinand Adolf George.
* Two Nazi examples: (Paul) Joseph Goebbels and (Otto) Adolf Eichmann.
* Thomas Creator/MarkHarmon. Since his father Tom Harmon was a college football star and sportscaster, he basically had to use Mark to differentiate himself.
* Caleb Casey [=McGuire=] Affleck, better known as Creator/CaseyAffleck.
* Vera Mindy Chokalingam, better known by her screen name Creator/MindyKaling.
* Matthew Creator/RyanPhillippe.
* Joseph Jason Namakaeha Momoa, better known as Creator/JasonMomoa.
* Elizabeth Téa Pantaleoni, better known by her screen name Creator/TeaLeoni.
* Lauren Keyana Palmer, better known as Music/KekePalmer.
* Elizabeth Stamatina Fey, better known as Creator/TinaFey.
* Samuel Timothy [=McGraw=], better known as Music/TimMcGraw.
* Audrey Faith [=McGraw=] (nee Perry), better known as Music/FaithHill.
* Patricia Creator/RooneyMara.
* Robert Creator/ClarkGregg.
* Edward Thomas Hardy, better known as Creator/TomHardy.
* John [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodney_Mullen Rodney Mullen]] is an American skateboarder.
* George Music/RogerWaters.
* Frontierswoman Martha Jane Cannary, better known as Calamity Jane.
* Tenitra Music/MichelleWilliams from Music/DestinysChild.
* Elta Creator/DanneelAckles.
* Kathryn Creator/FeliciaDay.
* Cheryl Creator/GatesMcFadden. She goes by her first name as a choreographer and middle name as an actress.
* King Gustaf V of Sweden's full name was Oscar Gustaf Adolf. His son and successor, Gustaf VI Adolf, was an even more extreme example, his full name being Oscar Fredrik Wilhelm Olaf Gustaf Adolf. His son in turn, Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten, was known in the family by his last name Edmund, his full name being Gustaf Adolf Oscar Fredrik Arthur Edmund. Earlier, Gustaf V's grandfather Oscar I of Sweden was born Joseph François Oscar Bernadotte.
* Isabella II of Spain, whose full name was María Isabel Luisa de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias.
* Clinton Creator/RichardDawkins.
* Creator/ChristopherPlummer's full name was Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer.
* Nelle [[Literature/ToKillAMockingbird Harper Lee]].
* Creator/JamieBell's full name is Andrew James Matfin Bell.
* Martha Maria Creator/YeardleySmith.
* Oliver Creator/BurgessMeredith.
* Jackson Creator/DeForestKelley.
* Allen Creator/KelseyGrammer. His daughter, actress Greer Grammer, has Kandace as her first name.
* Creator/BobNewhart's full name is George Robert Newhart.
* Similarly, Creator/BobEinstein, most famous for his Super Dave Osborne character, was Stewart Robert Einstein.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'' and ''WesternAnimation/EvilConCarne'' creator Creator/MaxwellAtoms' real name is Adam Maxwell Burton.
* John Creator/CarrollOConnor.
* Giovanni Music/GiorgioMoroder went only by his middle name before he ventured into {{electronic|Music}} {{disco}}.
* Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor's full name was Peter Leopold Joseph Anton Joachim Pius Gotthard.
* French author Henry René Albert Creator/GuyDeMaupassant.
* Creator/LexLang's full name is Walter Alexis Lang.
* Heidi Creator/HyndenWalch.
* The singer Music/{{Voltaire}}'s full name is Aurelio Voltaire Hernández.
* Jared Creator/DrakeBell.
* Charles Creator/JoelKinnaman.
* Music/TheJacksons member Randy Jackson's full name is Steven Randall Jackson.
* After Creator/RushLimbaugh's passing in 2021, his syndicators eventually put ''The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show'' in his old time slot, hosted by Richard Clay Travis and James Buckman "Buck" Sexton.
* Ellen Creator/TyneDaly.
* Charles William [[Creator/BillMumy "Bill" Mumy]] Jr. (Or Billy Mumy back in his [[Series/LostInSpace child acting]] days.)
* Erin Grey Van Oosbree, better known as Creator/GreyDeLisle.
* James Creator/LanceBass.
* Debra Creator/PhileceSampler.
* Walter Creator/CharlesDance.
* Creator/JohnKricfalusi’s first name is actually Michael, with “John” being his middle name.
* Karim Creator/DuleHill. He said he grew to dislike his first name because people would often ask him if he could dunk like Creator/KareemAbdulJabbar.
* Creator/HJonBenjamin had always been referred to by his middle name by family and friends and, similar to Orson Welles, was unaware of what his first name was until he was older (it's Harry, by the way).
* Mizero Creator/NcutiGatwa, who is set to play the Fourteenth Doctor in ''Series/DoctorWho''.
* Heather Creator/LaurieHolden.
* Dan Avidan of ''WebVideo/GameGrumps'' and ''Music/NinjaSexParty'' fame. His first name is actually Leigh, but he dislikes it because it's spelled in the traditionally feminine way (as opposed to "Lee"), and so he uses his middle name, Daniel, instead.
* Creator/PendletonWard's full name is Ward Taylor Pendleton Johnston.
* William Creator/DwightSchultz.
* Robert Creator/DeanStockwell.
* Christopher Creator/ChaceCrawford.
* Mayte Creator/MichelleRodriguez.
* Mary Creator/SeanYoung.
* Daniel Lawrence Whitney, better known as Creator/LarryTheCableGuy.
* John Creator/PeterSarsgaard.
* Former Creator/{{MTV}} VJ[=/=]current TV news commentator Kennedy mixes this with OnlyOneName, since her full name is Lisa Kennedy Montgomery.
* As did the singer [[Music/{{Oliver}} Oliver.]] His full name was William Oliver Swofford.
* And also Halston, American fashion designer most prominent in the 60s and 70s, who was born Roy Halston Frowick.
* Creator/WilWheaton's full name is Richard William Wheaton III.
* Robert Creator/BoydHolbrook
* Margaret Music/LeAnnRimes
* Kimberly Creator/AlexisBledel.
* Daniel Creator/JasonSudeikis.
* (Reuben) [=LaVell=] Edwards was a [[UsefulNotes/CollegiateAmericanFootball College Football]] Hall of Fame coach.
* As was (Hugh) Duffy Daugherty.
* The full birth name of Nikki Haley, former South Carolina governor and U.S. United Nations ambassador, is Nimrata Nikki Randhawa. She's the American-born daughter of Sikh immigrants; "Nikki" is occasionally used as a feminine name in her ancestral Punjab region (and conveniently is also an English-language name, derived from Nicole).
** Her husband Michael is also an example, having been born William Michael Haley.
* Famed American political consultant James Carville is in full Chester James Carville Jr.
* (Paul) Music/BruceDickinson is the frontman of heavy metal band Music/IronMaiden.
* William Creator/GlennShadix.
* Stephen Creator/WilsonBethel.
* Anthony Creator/WilfordBrimley.
* Deborah Creator/RheaSeehorn.
* Chloe Creator/AuliiCravalho.
* Kaitlyn Creator/HelenaHoward.
* Alfonso Creator/JohnRomero.
* Creator/EricVale's full name is Christopher Eric Johnson Jr.
* James Lynn Strait was the original lead singer of nu metal/punk rock band Music/{{Snot}}.
* Creator/HarryConnickJr, and by extension his father, former New Orleans District Attorney Harry Connick Sr., have the full name Joseph Harry Fowler Connick.
* Keith UsefulNotes/RupertMurdoch.
* Francis Creator/MichaelGough.
* Mervyn Ian Creator/GuyHamilton.
* William Creator/OliverStone.
* Robert Creator/JonathanDemme.
* Carole Creator/PennyMarshall.
* Charles Creator/HenrySelick Jr.
* Luna Creator/LaurenVelez
* Creator/BradBird's full name is Phillip Bradley Bird.
* Rolf Peter Ingvar Storm better known as Creator/PeterStormare.
* George Ivan Morrison, better known as Music/VanMorrison.
* Barry Humphries' first name was John.
* George Raymond Stevenson, better known as Creator/RayStevenson.
* Mexican painter Magdalena Carmen Creator/FridaKahlo y Calderón. She was always called Frida but her parents gave her first two names so that she could be baptized according to Catholic traditions.
[[/folder]]

* Although called "Al" by his family, British Prime Minister [[OverlyLongName Alexander Boris De Pfeffel Johnson]] chose to be known as "Boris" when he was much younger because it was more memorable, especially during the UsefulNotes/ColdWar.

* Special Agent Francis York Morgan of ''VideoGame/DeadlyPremonition''. Just call him "York". That's what everyone calls him. [[spoiler:He's actually the ImaginaryFriend of one Francis Zach Morgan, who is usually referred to as "Zach".]]

** Ralph Dale Earnhardt went by his middle name to distinguish himself from his father Ralph. The same goes for Dale's second son Dale Earnhardt Jr.

* In the ''VideoGame/ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink'' oneshot ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/8964301 Pyrophobic]]'', in order to get around the name overlap, the mother of the Zelda from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI'', who is also named "Zelda", goes by her middle name (Heather).

* Special Agent Francis York Morgan of ''VideoGame/DeadlyPremonition''. Just call him "York". That's what everyone calls him. [[spoiler: He's actually the ImaginaryFriend of one Francis Zach Morgan, who is usually referred to as "Zach".]]

* Alm from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden'' has his full name eventually revealed as [[spoiler:Albein Alm Rudolf II]]. Granted [[spoiler: him being the son of Rudolph was deliberately hidden from him and everyone else since his birth but even in a flashback his father calls him "Alm".]]

Compare with FirstNameBasis, LastNameBasis, and FullNameBasis. Contrast with EmbarrassingMiddleName.

* Creator/AlisonBrie's full name is Alison Brie Schermerhorn.

A character prefers to go by their middle name rather than their first name

* * Creator/VCAndrews' real full name was Cleo Virginia Andrews, but went by her middle name in her personal life. Her publishing name also would have been Virginia Andrews, but was changed to the familiar 'V.C.' by her publishers right before the release of ''Literature/FlowersInTheAttic''.

* Honestly, it's hardly ubiquitous, but it's also ''far'' less rare than you might think, for a variety of reasons including a more embarrassing first name, or a more unique and/or pleasant-sounding middle name.

* In ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'', Alice Cullen's birth name was Mary Alice Brandon.

* In ''LightNovel/IveBeenKillingSlimesFor300YearsAndMaxedOutMyLevel'', Provat Pecora Ariés' preferred way to be addressed by humans is by her middle name Pecora. This crosses into RealNameAsAnAlias territory at times, as she also uses that name when [[KingIncognito incognito]].

* Carol Creator/PennyMarshall.

* Halston, American fashion designer most prominent in the 60s and 70s, was born Roy Halston Frowick.

* Cheryl Creator/GatesMcFadden. She goes by her given name as a choreographer and middle name as an actress.