Forename
Surname = supername (i.e. additional name) = Nom de famille (Fr)
Patronymic = son of / daughter of
Russian: middle name is patronymic
# Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy
# Maya Mikhailovna Plissetskaya
Hebrew
# Simon bar Jonas (bar = 'son of' in Aramaic)
# Joshua ben Hananiah (ben = 'son of' in Hebrew)
Icelandic: the patronymic serves as the surname, which therefore changes every generation.
Amharic: child's given name + father's given name
Naming a parent after a child (teknonymy) is less common but is widespread in the Arab world where a parent is often called 'mother of xx' or 'father of xx'.
In Europe the use of two names dates only from the Middle Ages (previously only one name was used) and in some parts of Europe, the use of two names did not occur until the 19th century.
In most European languages the family name follows the given name, but the reverse is the case in Hungarian and Chinese.
In English patronymics are used only as suffixes and prefixes of the family name and this is common throughout Europe.
# Robertson # Scottish Mc/MAc # Irish O' # Welsh Ap # Polish -ski # Greek poulos(m)/poulou(f) #
In some countries a middle name is regularly used. In Europe middle names are less common unless acquired at Roman Catholic confirmation.
If there is a sequence of names there is a difference in level of importance. In Britain the first name is the most important forename but in Germany the name nearest the surname is the most important (i.e. Johann Wolfgang Schmidt would usually be referred to as Wolfgang).
Given names. Britain and the USA permit any name as a given name. In France and Germany there are lists of approved names that must be used if a child is to be legally recognised.
Various sources, not recorded
