Middle and maiden name, what is the difference?

bethin · Nov 23, 2006

Don't be emabarrassed. Maiden name is your last name before you were married. If you're not married you don't need to fill in this part. Middle name is completely different from maiden. Middle name is for example: Jane Elizabeth. Jane is first name, Elizabeth is the middle name. Most people in the U.S. have middle names but you may not have a middle name. If you don't, leave it blank or put n/a which mean non applicable so they know you are just not skipping parts of the application. You can also put n/a where it says maiden if you don't have a maiden name.

Hope this helps!

bethin · Nov 23, 2006

Hi! :nuke:
I'm also having difficulty filling up my first name. I have two names. Someone told me I should write in my first of two names as my first name, and the second as my middle name. I've always written my two names as my first name.
This is really trivial but its really confusing me...Please help

Concerning your two first names: when people say your name, do they same them together? Example: Mary Ann would be a first name, not a first and middle IF she goes by Mary Ann.

If you go by your two names then I would write that in for first name and leave middle name blank if you don't have a middle name.

Does this make sense?

prmenrs, RN · Nov 23, 2006

Your maiden name is your last name before you marry. If you have never been married, just put your last name in that slot. Your middle name is, well, the name between your first name and your last name.

For example: Mary Alice Jones is a single woman. Her maiden name is Jones. Her middle name Alice in this case. If you were never given a middle name (you could use a confirmation name if you have one and want to), you can write "no middle name" in that space. If Mary Alice Jones marries Joe Smith, her maiden name is still Jones.

If Mary's name is actually MaryAlice (no middle name) Jones, you could either have no middle name, or separate Mary and Alice.

It's up to you. But once you decide, don't change your mind! You want to use the same name as consistantly as possible on all legal documents.

aspen2010 · Nov 23, 2006

Thanks everyone for your help! :smilecoffeecup:

Your maiden name is your last name before you marry. If you have never been married, just put your last name in that slot. Your middle name is, well, the name between your first name and your last name.

So if I'm Mary Alice Jones, my first name therefore is Mary, my middle name is Alice, and my last name is Jones. And since I'm not married yet then my maiden name is also Jones?

It's up to you. But once you decide, don't change your mind! You want to use the same name as consistantly as possible on all legal documents.

Also, in my country we include our mother's maiden name when we write our names. So if my mother's maiden surname is Fisher, then I write my name this way: Mary Alice Fisher Jones. So in all my documents, like diploma, transcript, license etc. that is how my name is written. But in the NCLEX application, they don't ask for the mother's maiden name, so I'm afraid they might question my application for inconsistency. :scrying:

Still, thank you all very much for helping me clear this one out. This is really big help. :)

mtjmnov · Nov 23, 2006

Hi! :nuke:
:sofahider I'm really embarassed to ask this question but what is the difference between middle name and maiden name? In the New Mexico NCLEX application form, it is stated that I have to provide both middle name and maiden name. My mother says middle name and maiden name are the same and that I should fill up her maiden name as my middle and maiden name. But my father says they are not. He says that maiden name is the former last name of a married woman. I'm still single, so what is my maiden name?
I'm also having difficulty filling up my first name. I have two names. Someone told me I should write in my first of two names as my first name, and the second as my middle name. I've always written my two names as my first name.
This is really trivial but its really confusing me...Please help

Hi, for example your name is Alice Jane Jones Roberts, your first name is Alice Jane, your middle name is Jones and Roberts is your maiden name since you are still single. I hope this helps.

texas_lvn · Nov 23, 2006

Thanks everyone for your help! :smilecoffeecup:
So if I'm Mary Alice Jones, my first name therefore is Mary, my middle name is Alice, and my last name is Jones. And since I'm not married yet then my maiden name is also Jones?
Also, in my country we include our mother's maiden name when we write our names. So if my mother's maiden surname is Fisher, then I write my name this way: Mary Alice Fisher Jones. So in all my documents, like diploma, transcript, license etc. that is how my name is written. But in the NCLEX application, they don't ask for the mother's maiden name, so I'm afraid they might question my application for inconsistency.
Still, thank you all very much for helping me clear this one out. This is really big help. :)

To me what your mother is saying is that Fisher is her maiden name, and it is traditional to have your middle hame as her maiden name to carry on some sort of tradition. Does that make sense?

So, if I were you, having this on other important documents

first Mary Alice middleFisher last Jones. I would also leave the maiden name alone. I have seen where some person really thought someones name was na. I am sure that there is a 1-800 number somewhere for you to call and ask. Good luck.

ETA: My sons middle name is TI so it is possible for someone out there to have that.

rehab nurse · Nov 23, 2006

My best friend is a filipina. She had this issue when she came here, because she has a Catholic name applied to her first name, then her middle name, plus her mother's maiden name, and her father's last name. (Yes, five names). So her name is kinda like this: Mary Alice Lynn Jones Ventimiglia

(obviously not very filipino, but names all changed for privacy!)

So she uses the first two names as her "first name", Lynn and Jones for her "middle names" and Ventimiglia for her "last name". It's kinda confusing, but like another poster stated, it's important to keep it the same on all your documents as much as possible.

My friend actually goes by her second first name, "Alice". That's what's on her ID badge at work. It's actually a very unique name, and she does not like going by "mary" which was given to her I guess because she needed a Catholic name for her birth certificate. (Never understood that, but I guess it's fairly common in the Philippines?)

I hope I helped a little. It is very confusing sometimes!!

My own son actually has two middle names (I know, I'm cruel!) but I named him after one of my best friends and also wanted part of his Dad's first name...so those became his two "middle names". I have a lot of names to yell when he's in trouble...LOL!

msrclim · Nov 23, 2006

Just make sure that the name you submit to the BON is the same one that is on your legal documents, especially the one that you will be using for ID for the NCLEX. When you take the NCLEX, they will check the first and last names on your ATT and will match it with your ID. If they don't match exactly, they may refuse to let you take the test. This almost happened to me because I had 3 first names on my passport while the ATT only listed my first 2 names. Thankfully, after calling the proper person/office, they allowed me to take the test. Even if the BON application has only enough space for one first name, I suggest that you include all your first names when you submit your application.

mayflower2000, RN · Nov 23, 2006

in my case, before i got married, i used my mother's maiden name as my middle name. lets say for example, MARY JONES PARKER, JONES is my mother's maiden name. but when i got married, my maiden surname became my middle name, for example, i am now MARY PARKER SMITH. SMITH is my husband's surname. it wasnt a problem when i applied for the licensure. :)

aspen2010 · Nov 25, 2006

Thanks, everyone. I learned so much from you. :)

almoret · Dec 14, 2006

Thanks guys!I decided to put my middle name and maiden name the same since i am already married.For example my full name is Ashley chua Rivera.And my husband's name is Ronald Estoista.I'll just put Ashley as my 1st name and then Estoista as my last name and Rivera on both middle name and former/maiden name.