To fill out documents or to register in some social networks, you must fill in special fields. In the article, we will consider what the first name is - the name or surname, how to enter the middle name for paperwork. The work also published rules for spelling English names.
First name
First name - first or last name? What does this phrase mean when translated into Russian? For those who do not know the answer to this question or have forgotten it from school, we will tell you. To do this, we turn to the literal meaning. The translation of first name literally sounds like "first name". Not surprisingly, in many families of the United States of America and England it is customary to give a child several names, instead of using the traditional Russian middle name. As a rule, they do not use it there. If in English-speaking countries this is the "first name", then for us, however, is first name - name or surname? Of course, the name is the one your parents gave you at birth. By the way, in our country, it is also becoming a custom to call a baby a double or even a triple name, although this practice has not yet gained sufficient distribution. But if first name is first name, last name is second name? Not at all, there is a term for it, which we will discuss in the next section of the article.
Surname last name
What is first name (first or last name) is now clear. But how is surname and last name translated? Surname is a surname in interpretation into Russian from English. In American and English, there is a synonym for this word and it sounds like last name, that is, the last name.
What is middle name
In the literal translation from English, the phrase middle name into Russian is translated as "middle name". Some mistakenly confuse it with patronymic, but this is not entirely correct. In America and England, the "middle" or middle name can be any name you like that is not associated with the name of the father. A child can be called the name of a grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, or even a beloved literary character. People there do not really think about harmonies, as is customary in our country. Why is it called "average"? In English-speaking countries, it is customary to put first and foremost the name of a person in the first place, as in Russia. So all the documents are drawn up: first comes the name, then the second name, if any, and only then the surname.
Christian name
In addition to the second name, a person can also have a Christian name, that is, a name given during a baptismal ceremony. There is also given name - given or own name. All this together is combined into a complete name - that is, the full name translated into Russian. Some believing families in Russia also have a rule of the name given at baptism. This name cannot be spoken to outsiders; only family members and godparents know it. It is believed that the middle name will take away from the person the evil eye, damage and other people's evil. That is why it is so carefully hiding from strangers.
A little bit about how to answer a question about your name
If in a conversation with a native speaker you were asked to give your name, you can name only one name or along with the surname. If the interlocutor used the word name in combination with first or given, only the name is called by the rules. The same goes for paperwork. If the word surname or last appears in front of the name, then it is filled in the column, and during the conversation only the surname is called.
Filling out the documentation
Let us consider in more detail the filling of the column of documents in English. First of all, what if the letters of your name or surname are difficult to write in Latin letters, for example, if we are talking about Russian letters such as s, e, th?
Correlation of Russian letters with English spelling
The spelling of such letters in many ways resembles the phonetic analysis of a word when a vowel is divided into two separate sounds:
Letter in Russian | sound in english |
| yo |
well | zh |
s | Y ' |
th | j |
h | The Russian letter h in Latin letters is a combination of che. |
b, b | since these signs have no sounds, they are indicated by the apostrophes' 'for b and' for the soft sign, respectively. |
W, SH | Sh, shh |
YU | It will be a mistake to put only one letter u. It will be like this: yu |
I | Similarly to the previous example, this sound will be written like this: ya |
Now let us dwell in more detail on filling out a questionnaire using the example of a card. Consider the items that most often cause difficulties when filling out for those who first go on a trip abroad:
- Count first name and last name. How to fill it in Russian or Latin letters? You can choose any entry from your passport or passport. You can use a marriage certificate. If you have multiple passports, use the one in which the inscription matches the birth certificate.
- Middle name. You can enter a middle name here or just skip this item.
- When filling out a city, only the city, district or region is indicated directly; no need to indicate. If we are talking, for example, about St. Petersburg, then its Latin name is St. Peterburg.
- Item "country of birth". If at the moment the country in which you were born has changed its name, then the name that is accepted today is indicated. For example, not the Soviet Union, but the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Estonia and so on.
Interesting royal fact
Finally, some interesting facts from the life of the Queen of England. The Queen of Great Britain is known all over the world. But not everyone knows that she does not have what every person has. Elizabeth has no surname. But there are as many as two middle names. And the Queen, by virtue of her origin, has no need to apply for a passport, and even more so - a passport. It can freely fly anywhere in the world at will.
We hope that now you have unambiguously figured out the question of whether the surname or first name is first name, and filling out documents, forms, questionnaires, in the future, will not cause you any difficulties regarding the name, surname and patronymic.