Editing Personal name (section)

==Structure in humans==
{{Unreferenced section|date=July 2020}}
Common components of names given at birth can include:
* Personal name: The [[given name]] (or acquired name in some cultures) can precede a [[family name]] (as in most European cultures), or it can come after the family name (as in some East Asian cultures and Hungary), or be used without a family name.
* [[Patronymic]]: A surname based on the given name of the father.
* [[Matronymic]]: A surname based on the given name of the mother.
* [[Family name]]: A name used by all members of a family. In China, surnames gradually came into common use beginning in the 3rd century BC (having been common only among the nobility before that). In some areas of East Asia (e.g. Korea and Vietnam), surnames developed in the next several centuries, while in other areas (like Japan), surnames did not become prevalent until the 19th century. In Europe, after the loss of the [[Roman naming conventions|Roman system]], the common use of family names started quite early in some areas (France in the 13th century, and Germany in the 16th century), but it often did not happen until much later in areas that used a patronymic naming custom, such as the [[Scandinavia]]n countries, Wales, and some areas of Germany, as well as Russia and Ukraine. The compulsory use of surnames varied greatly. France required a priest to write surnames in baptismal records in 1539 (but did not require surnames for Jews, who usually used [[patronymic]]s, until 1808). On the other hand, surnames were not compulsory in the Scandinavian countries until the 19th or 20th century (1923 in Norway), and Iceland still [[Icelandic name|does not use surnames]] for its native inhabitants. In most of the cultures of the Middle East and South Asia, surnames were not generally used until European influence took hold in the 19th century.

In Spain and most Latin American countries, two surnames are used, one being the father's family name and the other being the mother's family name. In Spain, the second surname is sometimes informally used alone if the first one is too common to allow an easy identification. For example, former Spanish Prime Minister [[José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero]] is often called just ''Zapatero''. In Argentina, only the father's last name is used, in most cases.

In most Portuguese-speaking countries typically [[Portuguese name|two surnames are used]], sometimes three or four, typically some or none inherited from the mother and some or all inherited from the father, in that order. Co-parental siblings most often share an identical string of surnames. For collation, shortening, and formal addressing, the last of these surnames is typically preferred. A Portuguese person named António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres would therefore be known commonly as [[António Guterres]].

In [[Eastern Slavic naming customs|Russia]], the first name and family name conform to the usual Western practice, but the middle name is [[patronymic]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.icls.edu/blog/how-do-russian-names-work-a-detailed-guide|title=How Do Russian Names Work? A Detailed Guide|date=6 May 2024|website=www.icls.edu}}</ref> Thus, all the children of Ivan Volkov would be named "[first name] Ivanovich Volkov" if male, or "[first name] Ivanovna Volkova" if female (-ovich meaning "son of", -ovna meaning "daughter of",<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.russlandjournal.de/en/learn-russian/russian-names/ |title=Russian Names |work=Russland Journal |date=October 2007 |accessdate=7 July 2021 |archive-date=9 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709183540/https://www.russlandjournal.de/en/learn-russian/russian-names/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and -a usually being appended to the surnames of girls). However, in formal Russian name order, the surname comes first, followed by the given name and patronymic, such as "Raskolnikov Rodion Romanovich".<ref>{{cite web |last=Baiburin |first=Albert |title=Как появилась формула "фамилия — имя — отчество" |url=https://arzamas.academy/materials/1554 |website=Arzamas Academy |language=Russian |trans-title="How the formula of surname-given name-patronymic came to be |access-date=19 January 2022 |archive-date=26 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230426210917/https://arzamas.academy/materials/1554 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In many families, single or multiple [[middle name]]s are simply alternative names, names honoring an ancestor or relative, or, for married women, sometimes their maiden names. In some traditions, however, the roles of the first and middle given names are reversed, with the first given name being used to honor a family member and the middle name being used as the usual method to address someone informally. Many [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] families choose a [[saint]]'s name as their child's middle name or this can be left until the child's [[Confirmation (sacrament)|confirmation]] when they choose a saint's name for themselves. Cultures that use [[patronymic]]s or [[matronymic]]s will often give middle names to distinguish between two similarly named people: e.g., Einar Karl Stefánsson and Einar Guðmundur Stefánsson. This is especially done in Iceland (as shown in example) where people are known and referred to almost exclusively by their given name/s.

Some people (called ''anonyms'') choose to be [[Anonymity|anonymous]], that is, to hide their true names, for fear of governmental prosecution or social ridicule of their works or actions. Another method to disguise one's identity is to employ a [[pseudonym]].

For some people, their name is a single word, known as a [[mononym]]. This can be true from birth, or occur later in life. For example, [[Teller (entertainer)|Teller]], of the magician duo [[Penn and Teller]], was named Raymond Joseph Teller at birth, but changed his name both legally and socially to be simply "Teller". In some official government documents, such as his [[driver's license]], his given name is listed as ''NFN'', an initialism for "no first name".

The [[Inuit]] believe that the [[Soul (spirit)|souls]] of the [[namesake]]s are one, so they traditionally refer to the junior namesakes, not just by the names (''atiq''), but also by [[kinship]] title, which applies across gender and generation without implications of disrespect or seniority.

In [[Judaism]], someone's name is considered intimately connected with their fate, and adding a name (e.g. on the sickbed) may avert a particular danger. Among [[Ashkenazi Jews]] it is also considered bad luck to take the name of a living ancestor, as the [[Personifications of death#In Judaism|Angel of Death]] may mistake the younger person for their namesake (although there is no such custom among [[Sephardi Jews]]). Jews may also have a Jewish name for intra-community use and use a different name when engaging with the [[goyim|Gentile]] world.

[[Chinese emperor|Chinese]] and [[Japanese emperor]]s receive [[posthumous name]]s.

In some [[Polynesian culture]]s, the name of a deceased chief becomes [[taboo]]. If he is named after a common object or concept, a different word has to be used for it.

In [[Cameroon]], there is "a great deal of mobility" within naming structure. Some Cameroonians, particularly Anglophone Cameroonians, use "a characteristic sequencing" starting with a first surname, followed by a forename then a second surname (e.g. Awanto Josephine Nchang), while others begin with a forename followed by first and then second surnames (e.g. Josephine Awanto Nchang). The latter structure is rare in Francophone Cameroon, however, where a third structure prevails: First surname, second surname, forename (e.g. Awanto Nchang Josephine).<ref name="cameroon">{{cite journal |last1=Kouega |first1=Jean-Paul |title=Forenames in Cameroon English speech |journal=The International Journal of Language Society and Culture |date=2007 |issue=23 |page=33 |url=https://aaref.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/23-4.pdf |access-date=14 February 2024 |archive-date=4 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240304082040/https://aaref.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/23-4.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

Depending on national convention, additional given names (and sometimes [[title]]s) are considered part of the name.