The arrangement of British and American names is just the opposite of that of China people, that is, China people have "surname+first name", while in English-speaking countries it is "first name+last name". For example, a man named tom smith, whose "last name" is Smith and his "first name" is Tom.
In English, the "name" corresponding to Chinese is the full name; ; The surname is surname/family name/surname; "Name" is a Christian name/name/Christian name, in which Christian name is the name given by people who believe in Christianity and Catholicism when their children are baptized.
The child is registered as soon as he is born, and will be taken to his church for a naming ceremony in a few weeks. At this time, the priest took holy water from the temple to baptize the child and then named the child. Under normal circumstances, a person's Christian name is his first name or Christian name.
Extended information: American naming rules
1, the abbreviation in the name
Names can sometimes be abbreviated for the sake of brevity. Generally speaking, English people are used to abbreviating all their Christian names and middle names, such as B.T. Thatcher; On the other hand, Americans are used to abbreviating middle names, such as Ronald W. Reagan.
Child-father "name"
Some people often use their father's name or their father's name to show their respect for their father, so it is not surprising that several generations of a big family like One Hundred Years of Solitude use the same name. Deep resentment from Bian Xiao: I can't remember! )
"considerate" parents usually use senior [Sr.] ("old"), junior [〔Jr. /Jun〕] ("young") or Roman numerals after their names. For example:
Little john wilson.
Old John Wilson.
John robinson II john robinson II
2. Middle name
In general, the names of British and American people are composed of "Christian name+surname", such as jack wilson jack wilson.
However, in addition to "Christian name+surname", some people sometimes add a self-name, the so-called middle name, to their names. Middle names are usually placed between "Christian name" and "surname", such as Allen Aden Henry Allen adam henley.
Interestingly, some people have more than one middle name (but this is rare), such as Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson and Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson.
3. The relationship between name and gender
People in English-speaking countries sometimes give different names to men and women. For example, Peter and Tom are usually male names, while Mary and Lily are usually female names.
In addition, some men and women have the same pronunciation of their Christian names, but their spelling is slightly different. For example, Francis is a male name and Frances is a female name.
4. The origin of British and American surnames.
British and American surnames (surnames/surnames), like China surnames, are both "ancestral" surnames and generally take the father's surname. A woman usually takes her husband's surname after marriage.
For example, if a woman named Mary Smith marries a man named jack wilson, she will be renamed Mary Wilson after marriage. However, in recent years, the situation that women still keep their original surnames after marriage has also increased.