If one person tries to use different punctuation marks, other people and organizations will usually ignore them. In practice, the name by which a person wants to be called and known is limited by the willingness or ability of other people to call them after that. A woman using the title woman would also use her husband`s full name, including the suffix. In less formal situations, the suffix may be omitted: Mrs. Lon Chaney Jr. on a wedding invitation, but Mrs. L. Chaney or simply Shannon Chaney for a friendly touch. Widows have the right to retain the full names and suffixes of their deceased husband, but divorcees cannot continue to stylize themselves with the full name and suffix of an ex-husband, even if they retain the surname. [3] Name = full name, surname or surname, which may consist of more than one party. A suffix (for example, Junior, II, Senior) may also appear in the surname.
A person`s «legal name» usually consists of a given name, which is usually adopted at birth, and a surname, which is derived from your parents` common name, unless you get married, when you can use your spouse`s surname. At common law, you can change your name through non-fraudulent use, so women who marry do not have to ask a court to change their name to their spouse`s surname. Black`s Law Dictionary states that your official name consists of a Christian name and a surname, and any insertion, omission or error in your middle name is irrelevant. Some people don`t have a middle name, but if you have a middle name, it helps identify you more, especially if your first and/or last name are common. My office prefers to use the full name you were born with, unless you are a married woman and use your husband`s last name. We also list in your will any other names you use, with a particular focus on all names used on real estate deeds, bank accounts, and investments. There is no hard and fast rule about what happens to suffixes when the oldest of the name dies. Etiquette expert and humorist Judith Martin, for example, believes they should all ascend.[5] (since Sr. and subsequent suffixes can be redistributed), but most agree that this is left to individual families.
[6] Digits in names (i.e. — 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9) are not prohibited by any law. In practice, however, they are usually formulated by organizations. Members of religious institutes often use their institute`s initials as a suffix. For example, a Franciscan monk uses the postnominal initials «O.F.M.», derived from the Latin name of the order, «Ordo Fratrum Minorum» (Order of Friars Minor). Similarly, a Viatorian priest uses the suffix «C.S.V.» from the name of his religious institute, «Clerici Santi Viatori», qui (cleric of Saint Viator). These initials are not considered by members of religious institutes as equivalent to postnominal academic or honorary initials, but as signs of belonging to a particular religious lineage, similar to the use of «senior» or «junior». In the example Carl Viggo Manthey Lange, the first names Carl and Viggo are given names, while Manthey is a middle name and Lange is the surname. Manthey is his mother`s maiden name. Unless his full name is used, he is correctly called Mr. Lange, not Mr. Manthey Lange.
Carl Viggo Manthey Lange has a typical Norwegian bourgeois class name, his surname and middle name being of foreign origin and surnames recognized. Most working-class and peasant Norwegians and Danes used paternal names until the 19th century, when permanent surnames became mandatory, first in Denmark in the early 19th century and then in Norway around 1900. A middle name is usually a recognized surname and not a father`s name. One of the reasons why middle names were given in the 20th century. Most Danish surnames are the origin of paternal names and are shared by a large number of people. The use of middle names in modern times serves to distinguish them from other people. For example, Danish politician Lars Løkke Rasmussen has some of the most common given names and surnames in Denmark (Lars and Rasmussen); His mother`s maiden name is the slightly more unusual name Løkke, derived from a small agricultural estate, so he uses it as a middle name, which distinguishes him from other people named Lars Rasmussen. In the United States, the «middle name» is often abbreviated by the initial of the middle name (for example, Mary Lee Bianchi becomes Mary L. Bianchi). [4] This is usually standard for signatures[citation needed] or is completely omitted in everyday use (e.g. just Mary Bianchi). A person can have more than one middle name or none.
In the UK, she would normally be called Mary Bianchi, M. L. Bianchi or Mary Lee Bianchi for comparison, or she may choose Lee Bianchi, and informally there may be familiar abbreviations. Some states prohibit names that contain accents and/or non-English letters. Others, such as Alaska, Hawaii, Kansas, North Carolina and Oregon, allow accents and some foreign letters on birth certificates and other government-issued documents. Nevertheless, the courts have (repeatedly) affirmed a person`s right to take any name of their choice at will, without the need for permission from an authority and without following any legal procedure – except that they must generally use that name and make themselves known. Non-Latin letters in names are not prohibited by any law. In fact, a person born in China, Japan or Russia, for example, may be given a name (at birth) that includes non-Latin letters or characters – even if they are of British nationality. Of course, in everyday life, we talk about «middle names», that is, any name after your first name. In countries that primarily speak English – such as Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United States and the United Kingdom – a parent`s first name is sometimes used as a middle name to honor family heritage. [5] Typical examples are (1) a father named John William Smith (= John W. Smith), whose son is named Thomas John Smith (= Thomas J.
Smith) or (2) a grandmother named Mary Grace Tilley (= Mary G. Tilley), whose granddaughter is Ashley Mary Smith (= Ashley M. Smith). However, in many cases in the United States, a person`s middle name has little or no ancestry context, and is instead used to honor close family friends or notable public figures. [5] A rare case in which a person was given only an initial as a middle name, where the initial did not explicitly mean anything, was Harry S. Truman. (He once told reporters – apparently contradicting his own practice – that the S should therefore not be followed by a period.) [6] Businessman Mark M. Davis also has a single letter as his middle name. Trends in baby names change from year to year – usually influenced by famous people, popular fictional characters, cultural or religious factors.
Some states have introduced policies to define whether or not new parents are allowed to choose a particular name for their baby. In French, the names of a father and a son have the same names father and son. If the required documents contain very different names, do not accept evidence to process the Social Security Number application. In these cases, the applicant must provide SSN proof showing the same name or provide proof of name change after the immigration document is issued in accordance with RM 10212.010. Finally, it`s best to use the same version of your middle name (if applicable) that appears on your ID in your signature. For example, if you`re called «John C Doe» on your North Carolina driver`s license, you should probably include the middle initial C in your signature. Your lawyer may ask you to sign two versions of your name; one with only the C and one with your middle name. In general, the clerk`s main concern will be that your first and last name will look like how your name appears on your ID.
However, it is best to maintain consistency with your middle name or initials. Historically, when infant mortality was high, a child could be named after his or her deceased brother (a necronym),[4] with or without a suffix (as in the case of Salvador Dalí). There is at least one known case of several siblings with the same name in modern times – that of George Foreman`s five sons, including the elder George Jr. and the youngest George VI. Sometimes it is not clear what a person`s official name is because they are known by more than one name on different documents. The official name is the name used to sign legal documents, deeds or contracts. A rather unusual middle name among English speakers is Jennifer 8. Lee, American writer Lee wasn`t given a middle name at birth, so she chose «8» when she was a teenager, alluding to her Chinese ancestry; In Chinese culture, the number eight symbolizes prosperity and happiness. This article was written by Tamra K Waltemath of Tamra K. Waltemath, P.C. This information is provided for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific questions, you should consult a qualified lawyer.
Tamra K. Waltemath is a senior lawyer specializing in wills, trusts, administration of estates and trusts, estate and non-estate transfers, guardianship and conservatories. She can be contacted at: Tamra K. Waltemath, P.C., 3843 West 73rd Avenue, Westminster, CO 80030; 303-657-0360; or visit their website at www.WaltemathLawOffice.com.