I have always had a problem with actors that use three names. I won’t bother naming actual examples, but I think it usually sounds pompous. I can understand the necessity of distinction, like if your name is David Jones and you don’t want to be confused with the Monkees guy (or David Bowie to his knowledgeable fans). And then there is the connotation that you are an assassin; I think they do that on purpose to make the infamous figure unique and not intrude on the people that share the same first and last name.
When I was born I was called by my middle name Ford, (a name I love), until I entered 4th grade. At that time through some natural impulse I asked my parents if I could go by “Ed”. I’ve always loved both my names, and they each identify something different about my personality. Ed is about my relationship to the outside world; it is common and durable and can be jokingly compared to TV shows. Ford is about my closest family and my private world. At several times in my life I strongly considered returning to the name Ford in my everyday life, but in practice I never felt right about it, partly because I felt protective of the name.
When the World Wide Web came out in ‘93 or ‘94 I discovered there were other Ed Summerfields out there, including my uncle the Reverend Edward Summerfield. (I always got a kick out of that). So recently I decided to compromise and go by Ed Ford Summerfield for public things, despite my previous concerns. (I plan to use this as my name when I complete my recording project of my music). Maybe it’s something to do with turning 50. Or just that I want everyone to see all parts of me before I finish this lifetime.
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