What is family name
What is family name
Difference Between Family Name and Surname
August 28, 2011 Posted by koshal
Family Name vs Surname
To understand if there is a difference between family name and surname, we should first understand what each name refers to. What’s in a name as a rose would retain its qualities, even if it were to be called by a different name? said Shakespeare. However, the name of a person has been instrumental in allowing him to have an identity upon which he could build upon through his achievements. In all parts of the world, it is a common practice to have both the name given at birth by parents or other members of the family and family name or surname. People remain confused between the family name and surname as both traditionally come after the first name or Christian name in western culture, though there are differences between the two that will be highlighted in this article.
What is Family Name?
Family name is the name shared by the members of the same family. It is customary after birth to get the name of a child registered, and get a birth certificate issued in his name that is needed many times later in his life, and it is his identity for life. The name on his birth certificate includes both his first name that is unique to him, and his family name that is shared by all members of his family. If your friend is Steve Smith, you can refer to him as Steve, or as Smith when you are with him in any place other than his home where there are all Smiths whether his mom or sister or his father.
In western culture, the family name comes at the end of the name. As you can see in the name Steve Smith, Steve is the person’s given name and Smith is his family name. So identifying the family name of a person is simple.
Family name is the name shared by the family members
What is Surname?
Surname is also the family name. In other words, surname is the name shared by all the members of your family. There is a confusion between a surname and a family name when people do not understand that they are one and the same. At all instances, both happen to be one and the same. Only the placement changes in different cultures. There is also a tradition to refer to it as last name as it is placed at the end of a name or after the first name that is given at birth to a child. There are some exceptions, though, like China, Japan, and some other Asian countries where family name or the surname is placed first and then the Christian name given at birth. Spain has a unique tradition where everyone has two surnames where the first surname is father’s surname and the second one is mother’s surname.
In some places, it is common to see people using their father’s, their village’s, their tribe’s or even their cities name in their names. So if you see a Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar in a country like India, it is an example of father’s name being used in the middle with Tendulkar being surname or family name.
Surname is another name for family name
What is the difference between Family Name and Surname?
• Connection between Family Name and Surname:
• Family name is the name shared by all the people of the same family.
• Surname is another name that is used for family name.
• Placement:
• Surname and family name are interchangeable in western culture and are placed last in a name. In such cases, first name or Christian name is the personal name, whereas family name or surname is shared by all members of the family of an individual.
• In some cultures, especially East Asian cultures, family name or the surname is often placed ahead of the personal name, which is what confuses people in the western world.
As you can see, there is no difference between family name and surname. They are one and the same. They both refer to the name that you share with your family members. The practice of placing either your family name or your surname can change according to your culture. Pay attention to that. Otherwise, both the words family name and surname are one and the same.
Difference Between Family Name, Surname and Last Name
What is the difference between your family name, surname and last name? This is a question that many a person asks when there is the need to feel a form or an application with portions containing things like ‘family name’, ‘surname’ and sometimes ‘last name’.
The simple answer to the question is that there is no difference between your family name, surname or last name. They all mean the same and can be used interchangeably.
Let us take a look at them one after the other in order to thoroughly understand what they mean and get to know that there is no difference between them.
What is your family name? You family name is the name you share with you with most if not all the members of your family. Your ‘Family name’ is the same as your ‘surname’ or ‘last name’. A child will have the same family name as his or her parents.
For example a person called Jessica Marie Shelton will have the following:
First name – Jessica
Middle name – Marie
Family name – Shelton
Some people have more than one middle name whereas others do not even have a middle name. A middle name is defined as the name between your first name and your family name. First name can also be referred to as Christian name. Your first name is the name or names that come before your family name if you do not have a middle name. The first name is your actual name. The one many of your friends and family call you by.
What is a surname? Your surname is a name that you share with your parents. It is the same as your family name or last name. In English, your surname always comes at the end of your full name. Married women often take the surnames of their husbands.
Let us take a look at the name Jessica Marie Shelton once again and break down the names into their individual categories.
First name – Jessica
Middle name – Marie
Let us now move on to the last one which is you last name. What is the last name?
Your last name is the same as your family name or surname. As the name implies it comes at the end of your full name. It is the name a person shares with his or her parents. Last name is normally used to in place of surname in America.
Once again we take a look at the name Jessica Marie Shelton:
First name – Jessica
Middle name – Marie
Last name – Shelton
The above naming method is quite common all over the world, especially among English speaking countries. Some other tribes or cultures do not stick to this naming method. Many cultures have different naming methods. For example some cultures and tribes do not use family names. In a place like Greece for instance the family names given to children differ depending on the gender of the child because in their tradition, there are different forms of family names for male and female children. In another article, we will take a look at the different naming methods among the different cultures that we have in this world.
I sincerely hope that this brief article on surnames, family names, and last names will help to avoid any confusion or misunderstanding that you might have had relating to this issue.
NB. Traditionally, a woman was required to take the surname of her husband upon marriage. The children of the married couple were also automatically given the surname of their father. But of late, things are changing and today in some places, married women are not required or expected to do away with their surnames and take that of their husbands. The children of the married couple are also sometimes not given their father’s surname.
Difference Between Family Name and Given Name
August 4, 2011 Posted by koshal
Family Name vs Given Name
It is the cultural difference in writing the name that creates the confusion between the family name and given name. Every child that is born is given a name that is distinct and becomes his identification in this world. This is his or her given name that is different from his family name, which is often the surname suffixed after the given name, though there are different rules regarding the usage of the family name in various cultures and societies. Given name is more personal in nature than the family name, which is carried by all members, past or present of the said family. It is possible for one or more members of the family to share the given name, as it is seen that some people give their son their own name or the name of some of their ancestors. However, family name remains common and is used by all members to proclaim their ancestry and lineage. Let us take a closer look at differences between the family name and given name.
How would you recognize or recall a person belonging to a large family that has Wilson as the family name? You just cannot speak out Wilson loudly as that is a name common to all members of the family, and all of them would look in the direction of the person calling out Wilson. This is where the first name or the name given to a person at the time of the birth or at the time of registration of names comes handy, as this name is the differentiating factor between all Wilsons in the family.
What is Given Name?
Given name is the name your parents give you when you are born into this world. In fact, most parents are ready with the given name even before the child is born. This given name varies with gender. For example, Jack is a given name suitable for a boy. Angela is a name suitable for a girl. These factors are also considered when naming a baby. Also, almost all the given names carry a meaning. For example, Derek means ‘people-ruler.’ The common Indian girls’ given name Neha can mean ‘love or thunderstorm or rain.’ The given name is the name which becomes identification proof of the person when he is in his family.
Given name is also called forename to differentiate it from the surname or family name. It is also called the first name to distinguish it from the family name in western cultures. So, if John Dave is the name the given name is John. Some people have two or more given names or acquired names that they use before the family name. There is no hard and fast rule for the ordering of these names, but as a general rule, the more popular one is given precedence to the names that are rarely used by friends and family.
What is Family Name?
Family name is the name that belongs to one’s family. Family name is inherited by virtue of being born in a particular family. The members of the same family share this name. In western cultures, it is customary to put the family name behind the given name so you can be pretty sure to call out the first name of a person. Outside the family, a person can be referred by his family name, which is not confusing for him. So if John Dave is the name of the person, you can be pretty certain Dave is his family name or surname. Though western culture puts their family names at the end, that is, after the given name, some cultures such as India, Sri Lanka, Japan, Korea, and Hungary put their family name before their given name.
Linton and Earnshaw are family names
What is the difference between Family Name and Given Name?
• When the name is given:
• Given name is assigned at the time of birth or registration.
• Family name is inherited and is around before the birth of a baby in a family.
• Placement of the Name:
• Given name appears first in the name.
• Family name is used as a suffix in western cultures. However, in some cultures, family name is written before the given name.
• Qualities:
• Given names often bear resemblance to physical characteristics, circumstances of birth, occupations of parents, feminine variations of a masculine name, places, time of birth, and so on.
• Family names are more or less permanent, and carried over for centuries.
• Other words used for Family Name and Given Name:
• Sometimes, given name is also called Christian name.
• Sometimes Family name is also called surname or last name.
Names are given to individuals by their parents for identification and as a form of adhering to cultural attributes. Some of the names given to individuals include the first name, optional middle name, and last name.
What is First Name?
The first name refers to the name given to an individual at birth or during baptism so that they can easily be identified among their family members. In many cultures, the first name is the given name and appears first in western cultures. However, its positioning may differ in other cultures, especially those in the Asian region.
What is Last Name?
The last name refers to the identification that an individual is given to represent the family name in the cultural system of many societies. The last name is common to all family members and is commonly referred to as the surname. The last name appears after the first name in western cultures and before the first name in Chinese cultures.
Difference between First Name and Last Name
Definition
One of the primary difference between first name and last name arises in the definition of the two names. The first name is the name given to a child upon birth and upon baptism as a Christian name. In addition, the first name appears first when writing the name of a person.
On the other hand, the last name is the name that appears last when writing the name of an individual. Moreover, the last name represents the family name and is common to other members of the family.
Cultural Aspects of First Name
In the western culture, the first name is the individual’s given name and appears first in western cultures and in other communities that have been assimilated into the western cultures.
Although the first name is the given name of an individual in western communities, in Chinese and Japanese cultures and the communities that have been assimilated by Asian cultures, the first name represents family name and is common to other family members
Cultural Aspects the Last Name
In the western cultures, the last name is the family name of an individual and is common to other family members. However, in the Chinese and Japanese cultures, the last name represents the given name and differentiates an individual from other members of the family.
Formality
The first name, which is generally the Christian name, is used in a friendly but informal situation while the last name, which is the family name, is mostly used in formal and official circumstances.
Here are some of the FAQ
What is the family name?
A family name is a person’s name that is placed right before the given name.
Is the last name the same as the surname?
The family name is the same as the surname. Also, referred to as a first name, this is a personal name that differentiates an individual from other people. Typically, the family name comes first followed by the first name and middle name.
What is the given name?
A given name can be a part of a personal name that enables others to identifies a person, often a first name or short form of your long name. In some cultures, the family name comes in last after the given name and the middle name.
Урок 2: Surname или Last Name (Фамилия на Английском)
Surname — это фамилия по-английски. Есть еще варианты перевода слова «фамилия» — last name, family name, дословно это значит последнее имя и фамильное имя. В Америке большая часть населения имеет еще и среднее имя — middle name. Для слова «имя» кроме name возможны также следующие варианты: given name (данное или собственное имя), first name (первое имя) или Christian name (имя, данное при крещении). Все это вместе объединяется в complete name — полное имя. В русских именах, как правило, мы имеем имя (first name), фамилию (last name) и отчество (middle name).
Все эти названия для имен надо знать для того, чтобы оказавшись за границей, либо заказывая для себя какие-то товары, услуги, вы могли правильно заполнить требуемые формы. В предыдущей статье «What is your name?» мы подробно рассмотрели употребление, произношение и написание первого имени.
Surname [ˈsɜːneım]
Посмотрите на картинку, на ней изображены четыре документа: банковская карта, конверт с адресом, чек и водительские права. Все они предназначены для конкретных людей, имена и фамилии которых на них написаны. В Европе и в Америке принято на первом месте писать имя, на втором фамилию, если же есть еще средние имена, то они помещаются между именем и фамилией. Сначала прочитайте все эти имена по буквам (spelling). 
А теперь послушайте произношение этих имен и одновременно следите за текстом:
Теперь мы можем составить уже несколько вариантов вопросов на тему имени и фамилии, пользуясь следующей простой схемой: 
Поупражняйтесь, задавая вопросы об именах и фамилиях ваших близких и друзей, а также в ответах на эти вопросы.
Примеры произношения и написания распространенных английских имен и фамилий.
Интересные факты о фамилиях
На вопрос «what is your name?» можно отвечать двумя способами: либо назвать только свое имя, либо полностью имя и фамилию. На вопросы же, включающие слова: surname, family name, last name надо называть только фамилию. На вопросы, включающие слова first name, given name — надо называть только имя.
Фамилия есть не у всех. Например, у королевы Великобритании Елизаветы II-ой фамилии нет, однако, те потомки королевы, которые не имеют высших титулов, носят фамилию Mountbatten. Зато у королевы есть среднее имя и даже не одно, а два. Ее полное имя звучит так: Elizabeth Alexandra Mary.
Посмотрите на карту наиболее распространенных фамилий по странам и обратите внимание на написание этих фамилий на английском: 