Why does Benjamin Franklin not have a middle name?

Answer 1

Middle names are a modern idea and people in his time often didn't have one.

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Nonsense, middle names are not a modern invention.

Many people simply did not have middle names because it was not considered important to assign one.

The use of middle names gained favour among the rich and aristocratic first but didn't really become popular until just after the Revolution. By the time the Civil War broke out, it was custom to give a child a middle name.

Answer 2

He remained Ben Franklin all of his life, but used an alias when he wrote letters to his brother's newspaper. His brother was arrested by the British and jailed. While he was in jail Ben took over running the newspaper and still wrote his letters. He was 17 and had only 2 years left on his apprenticeship. When his brother return he insisted that Ben sign another 7 year apprentice contract. At this point Ben ran away and ended up in Philadelphia where he kept a house the rest of his life.