I was so surprised by the suggestion that I burst out laughing. Poor guy seemed to take it quite personally!
I don't use my middle name often, it's a little thing just for me: Ozma. Chosen because my deadname was Oz, and because Ozma, Princess of Oz, was essentially trans. It matters to me, and to so casually suggest I get rid of it just to make a process easier was honestly just astonishing.