On Wed, 6 Jan 2021 10:15:13 -0000
"NY" wrote:
"Sam Wilson" wrote in message
...
inserted, so S.... W.... (not me) was “sxw”. It looked odd when you
first
saw one - “oh, I didn’t know Steve’s middle name was Xavier...”

It's an interesting difference between UK and US: here in the UK middle
names and initials are rarely used - almost never in the printed name below
a handwritten signature or in the salutation ("Dear ...") on a letter. And
very rarely in official lists (examination results etc). And not on signs on
office doors. In the US, a middle initial seems to be mandatory.

Possibly because a lot of americans are also self important and insecure
which is why so many of them have some need to define themselves as [something]
American - eg italian, black, irish - even if the last time anyone in their
family saw ireland from anything other than 30K feet it was 4 generations ago.
They all need to belong to some subgroup to feel complete.