We chose middle names for the girls. For DD1 we chose my sister's name as she passed away from cancer a couple of months before I conceived. For DD2 we chose from MIL's name. Both sides of our family tend to pick middle names from family members, I was more than happy to keep that tradition going.

I like middle names, for many reasons. I like the history they give if they are named after someone. They are practical, I have known a few people who go by their middle name, rather than their first (my father for one), so I like the choice they give. I have worked in payroll and in process serving/repossession, anything that can differentiate a name, like a middle initial, can help with confusion over similar names. Someone is better off being John Roger Smith, than just John Smith when the repo man comes knocking and or when pays are being entered.