Have you ever been in a situation whereby you were given a form to fill in your name but got confused during the process? Or have you ever wondered the right way in which your names should be arranged?
Yes, I know you can pronounce and spell your name properly, but did you know how to fill and arrange it in the right format? Oops! The truth is that 90% of you don’t know.
This is a major challenge people face during registration, job interviews, filling online forms and more. Imagine making a mistake by filling in your name incorrectly or misarranging it when registering for an official document like a passport, NIN, driver’s licence and more; it will really cost you a lot to correct that error.
This same misarrangement and wrong filling in of names have affected a lot of job seekers and have cost some students their admission. Some will have to pass through stress and even spend a huge sum of money just to correct the error, which could have been avoided only if they knew the right way to fill and arrange their names.
Well, we can’t blame such people who have fallen victim, as they were only confused. So how about you? Are you also confused? If yes, then this article is definitely for you. This is because in today’s article, I will be clearing the air by telling you the right way to correctly fill in your name and also arrange it.
Don’t worry; it’s going to be fun. First of all, let’s start by understanding the meaning of some names. What is actually the meaning of a first name, last name, surname and more? Let’s find out.
What Is a First Name?
The first name is the name given to you by your parents when you were born. It is also known as a forename, baptismal name, given name or Christian name. Like me, the name given to me by my parents at birth is Chinonso, and that makes it my first name.
What Is a Middle Name?
A middle name is the name that comes in between your first name and last name. It’s like a private name that people don’t really know you for, and most times, people don’t even like to be called by their middle name. The truth is that not everyone has a middle name, as it’s not really common in some cultures.
Like me, my middle name is Miracle, but people barely call me that. They only call me by my first name, which is Chinonso, except my mum, who calls me Miracle when she is really mad at me. Do not tell her I told you this!
What Is a Surname?
The surname is a name common to all your family members. It is also known as a last name or family name.
What Is a Maiden Name?
A maiden name is strictly for women, and it’s known as the surname (also known as last name or family name) a woman was bearing before she got married and started bearing her husband’s surname (also known as last name or family name).
What Is a Full Name?
A full name is the combination of your first name, middle name (if you have any) and last name.
Now that you understand the meaning of these names, let’s then proceed to discussing the correct way of arranging names. Then after that, I will tell you the right way to fill in your names.
What’s The Correct Way Of Arranging Names?
Before you can be able to arrange your names properly, you must be able to identify your first name, middle name and last name. Like I said earlier, your first name is the name given to you at birth, your surname is the name common to all your family members, while your middle name is the name in the middle of your first name and surname.
However, there are several formats in which these names can be arranged. They include:
- First Name – Middle Name – Last Name
This is the standard way in which names are arranged. That’s why it is called Bola Ahmed Tinubu and not the other way around. That’s why it is also called Peter Gregory Obi and not the other way around. So your first name should come first, followed by your middle name, then lastly, your surname.
- Last Name – First Name – Middle Name
This kind of name arrangement is mostly used in official documents, school lists, recruitment lists and more. But note that any time your surname comes first, it is usually written in capital letters or followed by a comma, which indicates that your surname came first.
- First Name – Surname
This is also a standard way in which names are arranged, but specifically for those without a middle name. Like I said earlier, not everyone has a middle name, as it is not really common.
- Surname – First Name
This kind of name arrangement is also used in official documents and more but is strictly for those without a middle name. But when their surname comes first, it will also be written in uppercase or followed by a comma, which indicates that the surname came first.
- Initials
Initials are simply the first letter of your name. Now there are two methods in which your name can be written as initials. It can be your middle name as initials only or your first and middle name as initials.
For the name Bola Ahmed Tinubu, if we are taking the middle name as initials only, it will be Bola A. Tinubu. But if we are taking his first and middle names as initials, it will be B.A. Tinubu. I hope this was clear enough?
Now that you understand the correct way in which your names are to be arranged, let’s then talk about how to properly fill in your names.
How To Fill Names Correctly
To fill your names correctly, you must first identify your first name, middle name and last name. If you can identify these 3 names correctly, filling your name won’t be hard. In fact, the reason why most people make mistakes while filling in their names is because they don’t know which of them is their first name, middle name and last name.
I explained the meaning of each of these names earlier and another name you can call it, so I will assume by now you know what your first name, middle name and last name are. Most times when you are given a form to fill, it usually comes with three input fields with a text close to each that indicates the type of name you should fill in that particular input field.
Such kinds of forms are easy to fill out but sometimes can be complicated. Just so you can understand it better, I will be using 2 different illustrations below.
Illustration 1:
Let’s say John Micheal Smith went for an interview, and he was given the form below to fill out.
| First Name | |
| Middle Name | |
| Surname |
How should he fill it? Firstly, John needs to identify his first name, middle name and last name. The name John’s parents gave to him at birth is John, which makes it his first name. The name common to all his family members is Smith, which makes it his surname.
While the name which is between his first and surname is Micheal, which makes it his middle name. Now that John has identified his first name, middle name and surname, he can correctly fill them in on the form.
| First Name | John |
| Middle Name | Micheal |
| Surname | Smith |
Illustration 2:
Let’s say in that same interview, John was given another form to fill out below that has a little change.
| Forename | |
| Middle Name | |
| Last Name |
Well, it’s not really hard. Since he knows his first name is John, his forename will also be John since first name and forename mean the same thing.
His middle name is still Micheal. Then he knows his surname is Smith; his last name will also be Smith since surname and last name mean the same thing.
| Forename | John |
| Middle Name | Micheal |
| Last Name | Smith |
I hope you understand it clearly now?
The main thing here is that if you can identify your first name, middle name, last name and also know the other names in which they can be called also, filling any form won’t be hard for you.
What if you were asked to fill in your maiden name?
Like I said earlier, a maiden name is strictly for married women, so if you see this input field in a form you are asked to fill out and you are a married woman, kindly fill in the surname you were bearing before you got married.
If you are a child and you were given a form that asked for a maiden name, kindly ignore it. Except if the form asked you to input your mother’s maiden name. Let’s just say you are a child, and you were asked to input your mother’s maiden name; kindly input the surname your mother was bearing before she got married to your dad.
If you are also a father and were given a form that asked you to input your maiden name, kindly ignore. But if you were specifically asked to input your mother’s maiden name, kindly input your mother’s surname before she got married. Please do not mistake your mother’s maiden name for your wife’s maiden name, as they are totally different.
A question that I feel might be on your mind right now is
What if I was asked for my name without specifying which? What should I do?
Well, if it’s a form you are filling out, kindly write your name the way it is on any of your means of identification (ID card, passport, voter’s card and more). This is just you being smart, as it will prevent you from any problem if it eventually arises.
But if you are talking, like giving a speech, especially during interviews, kindly say your name in the standard format. First Name – Middle Name – Last Name (if you have a middle name) or First Name – Last Name (if you don’t have a middle name).
So yeah, that’s it. I hope this article was explanatory enough? And I hope by now you fully understand how to fill in your name and also understand the right way in which it should be arranged.
Do you still have any questions even after reading this article? Is there any part that seems to be confusing you? If yes, then kindly drop them in the comment section below and I’ll gladly respond to you in the best way I can. Thank you for your time!
