name stuff

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dk111

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hi. im new on this forum. my english is meybe ok at school but not very good overall. i want to really improve my english. ok, so first thing.

in my country (Jessica, John, George etc) is name and (Johnson, Williams etc) is surname. Weve got second names too. Of course i know its basic thing. but i dont understand what is what. i heard so many words: name, given name, first name, middle name, surname, last name etc etc. in my language there only 3 words to describe first name, second name and surname.
i know what is in use in countries like usa, uk, canada or australia. but most what is what in us and what in uk.

i know my english isnt very good but it is just start
 

5jj

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Franklin Delano Blenkinsop

Franklin - His first name, forename, or given name. This would once have been his Christian name or baptismal name, but these terms have gone out of fashion in these multi-cultural times.

Delano - His middle name.

Blenkinsop - His surname, family name or last name.

The answer to a question about your name depends on who is asking the question, for example:

When he is making a table reservation: Blenkinsop

When booking an airline ticket: Blenkinsop - Franklin Blenkinsop, or Franklin Blenkinsop

When meeting new colleagues: Franklin Blenkinsop or Franklin

At the gym: Franklin or, perhaps, Frank/Frankie.

However, these are only general ideas. People say different things.
 

dk111

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thanks. but i know that people call it different in other countries. i mean where people say first name, where given name, where forename? same with surname, family name and last name? oh, and when somebody in uk or us is asking me "whats your name" he means only my first name or first name and surname?
 

5jj

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Please try to use capital letters correctly, for example at the beginning of a sentence and for the first person personal pronoun.

Also, read my response more carefully. I dealt with at least some of the battery of questions you fired off in your last post.
 
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emsr2d2

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Fivejedjon has given you excellent answers. As far as what you should say when someone says "What is your name?", it all depends on context.

If meeting someone at a party for the first time, then I would use just my first name.

If I were at a business meeting or in another formal situation, I would use both my first name and my surname.

If I were on the phone to a government body or an official department and I knew that my full identity was important for them to verify who they were speaking to, I would use my first name, middle name and surname.

As far as the actual terminology is concerned, I personally call them "first name", "middle name" and "surname".
 
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