Given name

"Call name" redirects here. For other uses, seeCall name (disambiguation).

Diagram of naming conventions, usingJohn F. Kennedyas an example. "First names" can also be called given names, forenames, or, in some places at some times, Christian names; "last names" can also be called family names orsurnames.This shows a structure typical for English-speaking cultures (and some others). Other cultures use other structures for full names.

The sarcophagus atRiddarholm Churchin Sweden ofQueen Desideria,an official name given toDésirée Clarynot at birth but when she was electedCrown Princess of Swedenin 1810.

Agiven name(also known as aforenameorfirst name) is the part of apersonal namethat identifies a person, potentially with amiddle nameas well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically afamilyorclan) who have a commonsurname.The termgiven namerefers to anameusually bestowed at or close to the time of birth, usually by the parents of the newborn. AChristian nameis the first name which is given atbaptism,in Christian custom.

In informal situations, given names are often used in a familiar and friendly manner.In more formal situations, a person's surname is more commonly used. The idioms 'on a first-name basis' and 'being on first-name terms' refer to the familiarity inherentin addressing someone by their given name.

By contrast, a surname (also known as a family name, last name, orgentilename) is normally inherited and shared with other members of one's immediate family.Regnal namesandreligious or monastic namesare special given names bestowed upon someone receiving a crown or entering a religious order; such a person then typically becomes known chiefly by that name.

Name order

See also:Personal name § Name order

The ordergiven name – family name,commonly known asWestern name order,is used throughout mostEuropeancountries and in countries that have cultures predominantly influenced by European culture, includingNorthandSouth America;North,East,CentralandWest India;Australia,New Zealand,and thePhilippines.

The orderfamily name – given name,commonly known asEastern name order,is primarily used inEast Asia(for example inChina,Japan,Korea,Taiwan,Singapore,andVietnam,among others, and byMalaysian Chinese), as well as inSouthernandNorth-Easternparts ofIndia,and as a standard inHungary.This order is also used to various degrees and in specific contexts in other European countries, such asAustriaand adjacent areas ofGermany(that is,Bavaria),and inFrance,Switzerland,Belgium,GreeceandItaly,possibly because of the influence of bureaucracy, which commonly puts the family name before the given name. In China and Korea,part of the given namemay be shared among all members of a given generation within a family and extended family or families, in order to differentiate those generations from other generations.

The ordergiven name – father's family name – mother's family nameis commonly used in severalSpanish-speaking countries to acknowledge the families of both parents.

The ordergiven name – mother's family name – father's family nameis commonly used inPortuguese-speaking countries to acknowledge the families of both parents. Today, people in Spain and Uruguay can rearrange the order of their names legally to this order.

The ordergiven name - father's given name - grandfather's given name(often referred to astriple name) is the official naming order used inArabiccountries (for exampleSaudi Arabia,IraqandUnited Arab Emirates).

Compound

See also:Compound surnameandDouble surname

"Double name" redirects here. Not to be confused withDouble place naming,Tautonym,orReduplication.

In manyWestern cultures,people often have multiple given names. Most often the first one in sequence is the one that a person goes by, although exceptions are not uncommon, such as in the cases ofJohn Edgar Hoover(J. Edgar) andDame Mary Barbara Hamilton Cartland(Barbara). The given name might also be used in compound form, as in, for example,John Paulor a hyphenated style likeBengt-Arne.Amiddle namemight be part of a compound given name or might be, instead, amaiden name,apatronymic,or abaptismal name.

The signature ofAlexander Graham Bell.

In England, it was unusual for a person to have more than one given name until the seventeenth century when Charles James Stuart (King Charles I) was baptised with two names. That was a French fashion, which spread to the English aristocracy, following the royal example, then spread to the general population and became common by the end of the eighteenth century.

Some double-given names for women were used at the start of the eighteenth century but were used together as a unit: Anna Maria, Mary Anne and Sarah Jane. Those became stereotyped as the typical names of servants and so became unfashionable in the nineteenth century.

Double names remain popular in theSouthern United States.

Double names are also common amongVietnamese namesto make repeated name in the family. For example, Đặng Vũ Minh Anh and Đặng Vũ Minh Ánh, are two sisters with the given names Minh Anh and Minh Ánh.

Initials

Sometimes, a given name is used as just an initial, especially in combination with the middle initial (such as withH. G. Wells), and more rarely as an initial while the middle name is not one (such as withL. Ron Hubbard).

Legal status

A child's given name or names are usually chosen by the parents soon after birth. If a name is not assigned at birth, one may be given at anaming ceremony,with family and friends in attendance. In most jurisdictions, a child's name at birth is a matter of public record, inscribed on abirth certificate,or its equivalent. In Western cultures, people normally retain the same given name throughout their lives. However, in some cases these names may be changed by following legal processes or by repute. People may also change their names when immigrating from one country to another with different naming conventions.

In certain jurisdictions, a government-appointed registrar of births may refuse to register a name for the reasons that it may cause a child harm, that it is considered offensive, or if it is deemed impractical. In France, the agency can refer the case to a local judge. Some jurisdictions, such as Sweden, restrict the spelling of names.In Denmark, one does not need to register a given name for the child until the child is six months old, and in some cases, one can even wait a little longer than this before the child gets an official name.

Origins and meanings

John,a name of Hebrew origin is very popular in the Western World, and has given many variants depending on the language:Shaun,Eoin,Ian,Juan,Ivan,andYahya.Click on the image to see the diagram in full detail.

Parents may choose a name because of its meaning. This may be a personal or familial meaning, such as giving a child the name of an admired person, or it may be an example ofnominative determinism,in which the parents give the child a name that they believe will be lucky or favourable for the child. Given names most often derive from the following categories:

• Aspirational personal traits (external and internal). For example, the male names:
  • Clement ( "merciful" );as popularised byPope Clement I(88–98), saint, and his many papal successors of that name;
  • Augustus ( "consecrated, holy"), first popularised by the first Roman Emperor; later (as Augustine) by two saints;
  • English examples include numerous female names such asFaith,Prudence,Amanda(Latin: worthy of love); Blanche (white (pure));
• Occupations, for exampleGeorgemeans "earth-worker",i.e.,"farmer".
• Circumstances of birth, for example:
  • Thomasmeaning "twin";
  • Quintus(Latin: "fifth" ), which was traditionally given to the fifth male child.
• Objects, for examplePetermeans "rock" andEdgarmeans "rich spear".
• Physical characteristics, for exampleCalvinmeans "bald".
• Variations on another name, especially to change the sex of the name (Pauline,Georgia) or to adapt from another language (for instance, the namesFrancisorFranciscothat come from the nameFranciscusmeaning "Frankor Frenchman ").
• Surnames, Such names can honour other branches of a family, where the surname would not otherwise be passed down (e.g., the mother's maiden surname). Modern examples include:
  • Winston,
  • Harrison,
  • Ross.

Many were adopted from the 17th century in England to show respect to notable ancestry, usually given to nephews or male grandchildren of members of the great families concerned, from which the usage spread to general society. This was regardless of whether the family name concerned was in danger of dying out, for example with Howard, a family with many robust male lines over history. Notable examples include

• • Howard, from the Howard family, Dukes of Norfolk;
  • Courtenay, from the surname of the Earls of Devon;
  • Trevor, from the Welsh chieftain Tudor Trevor, lord of Hereford;
  • Clifford, from the Barons Clifford;
  • Digby, from the family of Baron Digby/Earl of Bristol;
  • Shirley (originally a man's forename), from the Shirley family, Earls Ferrer;
  • Percy, from the Percy Earls and Dukes of Northumberland;
  • Lindsay, from that noble Scottish family, Earls of Crawford;
  • Graham, from that noble Scottish family, Dukes of Montrose;
  • Eliot, from the Eliot family, Earls of St Germans;
  • Herbert, from the Herbert family, Earls of Pembroke;
  • Russell, from the Russell family, Earls and Dukes of Bedford;
  • Stanley, from the Stanley family, Earls of Derby;
  • Vernon, Earl of Shipbrook
  • Dillon, the Irish family of Dillon, Viscount Dillon
• Places, for exampleBrittanyandLorraine.
• Time of birth, for example, day of the week, as inKofi Annan,whose given name means "born on Friday",or the holiday on which one was born, for example, the nameNataliemeaning "born onChristmasday "in Latin(Noel (French "Christmas" ), a name given to males born at Christmas); alsoApril,May,orJune.
• Combination of the above, for example theArmenianname Sirvart means "love rose".

In many cultures, given names are reused, especiallyto commemorate ancestorsor those who are particularly admired, resulting in a limited repertoire of names that sometimes vary byorthography.

The most familiar example of this, to Western readers, is the use ofBiblicalandsaints'names in most of the Christian countries (with Ethiopia, in which names were often ideals or abstractions—Haile Selassie, "power of the Trinity"; Haile Miriam, "power of Mary" —as the most conspicuous exception). However, the nameJesusis consideredtabooorsacrilegiousin some parts of theChristian world,though this taboo does not extend to the cognateJoshuaor related forms which are common in many languages even among Christians. In some Spanish-speaking countries, the name Jesus is considered a normal given name.

Similarly, the nameMary,now popular among Christians, particularlyRoman Catholics,was considered too holy for secular use until about the 12th century. In countries that particularly venerated Mary, this remained the case much longer; in Poland, until the arrival in the 17th century of French queens named Marie.

Most common given names in English (and many other European languages) can be grouped into broad categories based on their origin:

• Hebrew names,most often from the Bible, are very common in, or are elements of names used in historically Christian countries.Somehave elements meaning "God", especially "Eli".Examples:Michael,Joshua,Daniel,Joseph,David,Adam,Samuel,Elizabeth,HannahandMary.There are also a handful of names in use derived from theAramaic,particularly the names of prominent figures in the New Testament—such asThomas,MarthaandBartholomew.
  • All of theSemitic peoplesof history and the present day use at least some names constructed like these in Hebrew (and the ancient Hebrews used names not constructed like these—such asMoses,probably an Egyptian name related to the names ofPharaohslike Thutmose and Ahmose). The Muslim world is the best-known example (with names like Saif-al-din, "sword of the faith", or Abd-Allah, "servant of God" ), but even the Carthaginians had similar names: cf. Hannibal, "the grace of god" (in this case not the Abrahamic deity God, but the deity—probablyMelkart—whose title is normally left untranslated, asBaal).
• Germanic namesare characteristically warlike; roots with meanings like "glory", "strength", and "will" are common. The "-bert"element common in many such names comes fromberaht,which means "bright".Examples:Robert,Edward,Roger,Richard,Albert, Carl, Alfred, Rosalind, Emma, Emmett,EricandMatilda.
• Frenchforms ofGermanicnames. Since theNorman conquest of England,many English-given names ofGermanicorigin are used in theirFrench forms.Examples:Charles,Henry.
• Slavic namesmay be of peaceful character, the compounds being derived from the wordrootsmeaning "to protect", "to love", "peace", "to praise [gods]", or "to give". Examples:Milena,Vesna,Bohumil,Dobromir,Svetlana,Vlastimil.Other names have a warlike character and are built of words meaning "fighter", "war", or "anger". Examples:Casimir,Vladimir,Sambor,WojciechandZbigniew.Many of them derive from the root word "slava" ( "glory" ):Boleslav,Miroslav,Vladislav,Radoslav,SlavomirandStanislav.Those derived from root word "mir" ( "world, peace" ) are also popular:Casimir,Slavomir,Radomir,Vladimir,Miroslav,Jaczemir.
• Celticnames are sometimesanglicisedversions ofCeltic forms,but the original form may also be used. Examples:Alan,Brian,Brigid,Mórag, Ross,Logan,Ciarán,Jennifer,andSeán.These names often have origins in Celtic words, as Celtic versions of the names of internationally knownChristiansaints,as names ofCeltic mythological figures,or simply as long-standing names whose ultimate etymology is unclear.
• Greek namesmay be derived from the history and mythology ofClassical Antiquityor be derived from theNew Testamentand early Christian traditions. Such names are often, but not always, anglicised. Examples:Helen,Stephen,Alexander,Andrew,Peter,Gregory,George,Christopher,Margaret,Nicholas,Jason,Timothy,Chloe,Zoë,Katherine,PenelopeandTheodore.
• Latin namescan also be adopted unchanged, or modified; in particular, the inflected element can be dropped, as often happens in borrowings from Latin to English. Examples:Laura,Victoria,Mark(LatinMarcus),Justin(LatinJustinus),Paul(Lat.Paulus), Julius,Julia,Cecilia,Felix,Vivian,Pascal(not a traditional-type Latin name, but the adjective-turned-namepaschalis,meaning 'of Easter' (Pascha)).
• Word namescome from English vocabulary words. Feminine names of this sort—in more languages than English, and more cultures than Europe alone—frequently derive from nature, flowers, birds, colours, orgemstones.Examples includeJasmine,Lavender,Dawn,Daisy,Rose,Iris,Petunia,Rowan,Jade,andViolet.Male names of this sort are less common—examples likeHunterandFischer,or names associated with strong animals, such asBroncoandWolf.(This is more common in some other languages, such as Northern Germanic and Turkish).
• Trait namesmost conspicuously include the Christian virtues, mentioned above, and normally used as feminine names (such as thethree Christian virtues—Faith,Hope,andCharity).
• Diminutivesare sometimes used to distinguish between two or more people with the same given name. In English,Robertmay be changed to "Robbie" or Thomas changed to "Tommy". In German the namesHänselandGretel(as in the famousfairy tale) are the diminutive forms of Johann and Margarete. Examples:Vicky,Cindy,Tommy,Abby,Allie.
• Shortened names(seenickname) are generally nicknames of a longer name, but they are instead given as a person's entire given name. For example, a man may simply be named "Jim", and it is not short forJames.Examples: Beth, Ben, Zach, Tom.
• Feminine variationsexist for many masculine names, often in multiple forms. Examples:Charlotte,Stephanie,Victoria,Philippa,Jane,Jacqueline,Josephine,Danielle,Paula,Pauline,Patricia,Francesca.

Frequently, a given name has versions in many languages. For example, the biblical nameSusannaalso occurs in its originalbiblical Hebrewversion,Shoshannah,its Spanish and Portuguese versionSusana,its French version,Suzanne,its Polish version,Zuzanna,or its Hungarian version,Zsuzsanna.

East Asia

See also:Chinese given names

Despite the uniformity ofChinese surnames,someChinese given namesare fairly original becauseChinese characterscan be combined extensively. Unlike European languages, with their Biblical and Greco-Roman heritage, theChinese languagedoes not have a particular set of words reserved for given names: any combination of Chinese characters can theoretically be used as a given name. Nonetheless, a number of popular characters commonly recur, including "Strong" (Vĩ,Wěi), "Learned" (Văn,Wén), "Peaceful" (An,Ān), and "Beautiful" (Mỹ,Měi). Despite China's increasing urbanization, several names such as "Pine" (Tùng,Sōng) or "Plum"(Mai,Méi) also still reference nature.

Most Chinese given names are two characters long and—despite the examples above—the two characters together may mean nothing at all. Instead, they may be selected to include particular sounds,tones,orradicals;to balance theChinese elementsof a child'sbirth chart;or to honor ageneration poemhanded down through the family for centuries. Traditionally, it is considered anaffront,not an honor, to have a newborn named after an older relative and so full names are rarely passed down through a family in the manner of American EnglishSeniors,Juniors,III,etc. Similarly, it is considered disadvantageous for the child to bear a name already made famous by someone else throughromanizations,where a common name likeLiu Xiangmay be borne by tens of thousands.

Korean namesandVietnamese namesare often simply conventions derived fromClassical Chinesecounterparts.

Many femaleJapanese namesend in-ko(Tử), usually meaning "child" on its own. However, the character when used in given names can have a feminine (adult) connotation.

In many Westernised Asian locations, many Asians also have an unofficial or even registered Western (typically English) given name, in addition to their Asian given name. This is also true for Asian students at colleges in countries such as the United States, Canada, and Australia as well as among international businesspeople.

Gender

Most names in English are traditionally masculine (Hugo, James, Harold) or feminine (Daphne, Charlotte, Jane), but there areunisex namesas well, such asJordan,Jamie,Jesse,Morgan,Leslie/Lesley,Joe/Jo,Jackie,Pat,Dana, Alex,Chris/Kris,Randy/Randi,Lee,etc. Often, use for one gender is predominant. Also, a particular spelling is often more common for either men or women, even if the pronunciation is the same.

Many culture groups, past and present, did not or do not gender their names strongly; thus, many or all of their names are unisex. On the other hand, in many languages including mostIndo-European languages(but not English), gender is inherent in the grammar. Some countries have laws preventingunisex names,requiring parents to give their children sex-specific names.Names may have different gender connotations from country to country or language to language.

Withinanthroponymicclassification, names of human males are calledandronyms(fromAncient Greekἀνήρ / man, and ὄνυμα [ὄνομα] / name),while names of human females are calledgynonyms(fromAncient Greekγυνή / woman, and ὄνυμα [ὄνομα] / name).

Popularity

Most popular US baby names from 1880 to 2012

The popularity (frequency) distribution of given names typically follows apower law distribution.

Since about 1800 in England and Wales and in the U.S., the popularity distribution of given names has been shifting so that the most popular names are losing popularity. For example, in England and Wales, the most popular female and male names given to babies born in 1800 were Mary and John, with 24% of female babies and 22% of male babies receiving those names, respectively.In contrast, the corresponding statistics for England and Wales in 1994 were Emily and James, with 3% and 4% of names, respectively. Not only have Mary and John gone out of favour in the English-speaking world, but the overall distribution of names has also changed significantly over the last 100years for females, but not for males. This has led to an increasing amount of diversity for female names.

Choice of names

Education, ethnicity, religion, class and political ideology affect parents' choice of names. Politically conservative parents choose common and traditional names, while politically liberal parents may choose the names of literary characters or other relatively obscure cultural figures.Devout members of religions often choose names from their religious scriptures. For example, Hindu parents may name a daughterSaanviafter the goddess, Jewish parents may name a boyIsaacafter one of the earliest ancestral figures, and Muslim parents may name a boyMohammedafterthe prophet Mohammed.

There are many tools parents can use to choose names, including books, websites and applications. An example is the Baby Name Game that uses theElo rating systemto rank parents preferred names and help them select one.

Influence of popular culture

Popular cultureappears to have an influence on naming trends, at least in the United States and United Kingdom. Newly famous celebrities and public figures may influence the popularity of names. For example, in 2004, the names "Keira" and "Kiera" (anglicisation of Irish name Ciara) respectively became the 51st and 92nd most popular girls' names in the UK, following the rise in popularity of British actressKeira Knightley.In 2001, the use of Colby as a boys' name for babies in the United States jumped from 233rd place to 99th, just afterColby Donaldsonwas the runner-up onSurvivor: The Australian Outback.Also, the female name "Miley" which before was not in the top 1000 was 278th most popular in 2007, following the rise to fame of singer-actressMiley Cyrus(who was named Destiny at birth).

Influence of TV series on given names in England and Wales from 1996 to 2021.

Characters from fiction also seem to influence naming. After the nameKaylawas used fora characteron the Americansoap operaDays of Our Lives,the name's popularity increased greatly. The nameTammy,and the relatedTamarabecame popular after the movieTammy and the Bachelorcame out in 1957. Some names were established or spread by being used in literature. Notable examples includePamela,invented by SirPhilip Sidneyfor a pivotal character in his epic prose work,The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia;Jessica,created by William Shakespeare in his playThe Merchant of Venice;Vanessa,created byJonathan Swift;Fiona,a character fromJames Macpherson's spurious cycle ofOssianpoems;Wendy,an obscure name popularised byJ. M. Barriein his playPeter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up;andMadison,a character from the movieSplash.LaraandLarissawere rare in America before the appearance ofDoctor Zhivago,and have become fairly common since.

Songs can influence the naming of children. Jude jumped from 814th most popular male name in 1968 to 668th in 1969, following the release ofthe Beatles' "Hey Jude".Similarly,Laylacharted as 969th most popular in 1972 after theEric Claptonsong. It had not been in the top 1,000 before.Kayleigh became a particularly popular name in the United Kingdom following the release of a song by the British rock groupMarillion.Government statistics in 2005 revealed that 96% of Kayleighs were born after 1985, the year in which Marillion released "Kayleigh".

Popular culture figures need not be admirable in order to influence naming trends. For example, Peyton came into the top 1000 as a female given name for babies in the United States for the first time in 1992 (at #583), immediately after it was featured as the name of an evil nanny in the filmThe Hand That Rocks the Cradle.On the other hand, historical events can influence child-naming. For example, the given nameAdolfhas fallen out of use since the end ofWorld War IIin 1945.

In contrast with this anecdotal evidence, a comprehensive study of Norwegian first name datasetsshows that the main factors that govern first name dynamics areendogenous.Monitoring the popularity of 1,000 names over 130 years, the authors have identified only five cases ofexogenouseffects, three of them are connected to the names given to the babies of the Norwegian royal family.

20th century African-American names

Since the civil rights movement of 1950–1970,African-American namesgiven to children have strongly mirrored sociopolitical movements and philosophies in the African-American community. Since the 1970s neologistic (creative, inventive) practices have become increasingly common and the subject of academic study.

See also

• Hypocorismor pet name
• List of most popular given names(in many countries and cultures)
• Maiden and married names
• Name day
• Onomastics
• Personal name
• Praenomen
• Pseudonym
• Saint's name
  • Calendar of saints
• Slave name
• Thai name– somewhat special treatment of given names
• Theophoric name
  • Theophory in the Bible
• Unisex name
• Bilingual tautological given names

Sources

• Barolini, Teodolinda, ed. (2005).Medieval Constructions in Gender And Identity: Essays in Honor of Joan M. Ferrante.Tempe: Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies.ISBN9780866983372.
• Bourin, Monique; Martínez Sopena, Pascual, eds. (2010).Anthroponymie et migrations dans la chrétienté médiévale[Anthroponymy and Migrations in Medieval Christianity]. Madrid: Casa de Velázquez.ISBN9788496820333.
• Bruck, Gabriele vom; Bodenhorn, Barbara, eds. (2009) [2006].An Anthropology of Names and Naming(2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Fraser, Peter M.(2000). "Ethnics as Personal Names".Greek Personal Names: Their Value as Evidence(PDF).Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 149–157. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 18 October 2019.Retrieved27 December2023.
• Room, Adrian (1996).An Alphabetical Guide to the Language of Name Studies.Lanham and London: The Scarecrow Press.ISBN9780810831698.
• Ziolkowska, Magdalena (2011)."Anthroponomy as an Element Identifying National Minority".Eesti ja Soome-Ugri Keeleteaduse Ajakiri.2(1): 383–398.doi:10.12697/jeful.2011.2.1.25.Archivedfrom the original on 19 March 2024.

External links

• Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913)."Christian Names".Catholic Encyclopedia.New York: Robert Appleton Company.
• Given Name Frequency Project— Analysis of long-term trends in given names in England and Wales. Includes downloadable datasets of names for people interested in studying given name trends.
• NameVoyager— Visualization showing the frequency of the Top 1000 American baby names throughout history.
• U.S. Census Bureau: Distribution of Names Files— Large ranked list of male and female given names in addition to last names.
• Popular Baby Names— The Social Security Administration page for Popular U.S. Baby Names.
• Muslim Names— Islamic names with Audio Voice for pronunciation of Arabic names.
• Why Most European Names Ending in A Are Female— Article on Namepedia about gender and naming.
• Name DesignArchived23 February 2021 at theWayback Machine— How to make unique name design and create name art.