Why do some people...?

[rocala]

Frequently in my Ancestry UK hints and searches, I find trees which match my own except that many of the people on them, from the 17th and 18th centuries, have middle names. In every case so far, there has been no documentary evidence to back up these additions.

Why do people do this?

[Ayashi]

I've found that some people have middle names (such as a family maiden name) on christening and never again. I have one census that gives someone the middle initial A but never again on any other document (so potentially an error of writing). I have other incidents where someone has found multiple different christenings and picked one that has a middle name despite the person not having that name anywhere else (and may be provably wrong). I've also had a few descendants of a person tell me that by word of mouth they had a middle name that I've never seen on paper. Sometimes information comes from a few generations down the line (such as someone dying in the US and the informant having to remember what the parents names were of someone who themselves may have been elderly at death).

And then people copy all the information.

[Andrew Tarr]

I've found that some people have middle names (such as a family maiden name) on christening and never again.

My maternal grandfather, born 1869, was an example of that.  His baptism included his mother's surname, never to be seen again.

[coombs]

My 3xgreat grandfather born 1813 was called Thomas John Roberts, but only his baptism says that, he was always just Thomas Roberts in subsequent records. A few decades ago it was much harder for me to find him, if his middle name had been used, it would have been a bit easier.

[rocala]

Thank you for the replies so far. I would like to stress that I was referring to the 17th and 18th centuries, when it seems middle names were quite rare.
 
 Also, in many cases there are baptism records on the tree or elsewhere online. I have always checked this and have found no evidence of middle names, otherwise I would not count them as a part of the problem.

Why some people are doing this remains a mystery to me.

[Andrew Tarr]

Why some people are doing this remains a mystery to me.

One possibility that occurs to me is the need to distinguish between people with otherwise similar or identical names in their village or town - or wider family ?

[rocala]

Yes Andrew that is a possibility. I have seen trees where name frequency is a problem and it is often solved by adding a number to the name.

I have been tempted to ask why the extra name, but I have found that some people can be very touchy about their trees 

[coombs]

Thank you for the replies so far. I would like to stress that I was referring to the 17th and 18th centuries, when it seems middle names were quite rare.
 
 Also, in many cases there are baptism records on the tree or elsewhere online. I have always checked this and have found no evidence of middle names, otherwise I would not count them as a part of the problem.

Why some people are doing this remains a mystery to me.

I found middle names were as rare as hens teeth before around 1750. But I have occasionally seen in Ancestry trees people with middle names who were said to be born in the 1500s. But I have my doubts as to the middle names as they were practically unheard of back then.

[Ayashi]

I suppose in some cases earlier on they may have been used patronymically. William (son of) John SMITH. That doesn't explain the trees without a source though.