Most people have at least two names, a first name and a surname. The surname identifies the family and the first name identifies a particular member. So you could have a family named Smith consisting of a father, mother and two children. Their names might be John Smith, Rosemary Smith, Peter Smith and Susan Smith. It is also acceptable to have other names 'Middle names' as they are called. Roman catholics usually have a saint's name as a middle name but often it could be used in honour of another family member, such as an aunt or uncle, or a close family friend.
At one time first names were called Christian names, being the name given to a child when Christened but as this term is deemed offensive to non-Christians such as Jews and Muslims the term 'First name' is more widely accepted.
2006-12-01 02:49:58
·
answer #2
·
answered by quatt47 7
·
0⤊
0⤋
I assume you are from a country where the people only have one given name. In the Western world (U.S., Europe, etc), people usually have three names: a first name (their given name at birth, for example, Robert), a middle name (another given name, rarely used, used more for identification if there is more than one Robert), and a last name (also called a surname, a family name passed down from generation to generation, for example, Smith). So somebody could have the name Robert Allan Smith, where people would call him Robert, Robert Allan, or Mr. Smith.
2006-12-01 02:26:53
·
answer #3
·
answered by terranrich82 2
·
0⤊
0⤋