Legal Term Given Name


Most names in English are traditionally male (Hugo, James, Harold) or female (Daphne, Charlotte, Jane), but there are also unisex names such as Jordan, Jamie, Jesse, Morgan, Leslie/Lesley, Joe/Jo, Jackie, Pat, Dana, Alex, Chris/Kris, Randy/Randi, Lee, etc. Often the use for one sex is predominant. In addition, a certain spelling is often more common for men or women, even if the pronunciation is the same. If there is a “legal” surname in strict English law, it can easily be changed. In the words of an American and English law dictionary: “Anyone can take any surname or as many surnames as he wants, without a legal license.” [7] This does not always seem to have been true for the names given at baptism. As Sir Edward Coke noted in the Institutes of the Lawes of England, “a man may have different names at different times, but not different Christian names.” [8] But in modern practice, all names are freely changeable. [9] In many Western cultures, people often have multiple first names. Most often, the first in order is the one by which a person leaves, although exceptions are not uncommon, as in the cases of John Edgar Hoover (J. Edgar) and Dame Mary Barbara Hamilton Cartland (Barbara). The first name can also be used in compound form, as in John Paul II or a hyphenated style such as Bengt-Arne.

A middle name can be part of a compound name, or could instead be a maiden name, a father`s name, or a baptismal name. Sometimes a first name is used only as an initial, especially in combination with the middle initial (as in H. G. Wells), and less often as an initial, when the middle name is not one (as in L. Ron Hubbard). An official name is the name that identifies a person for legal, administrative and other official purposes. A person`s first legal name is usually the person`s name given for birth registration purposes, which then appears on a birth certificate (see birth name), but may change later. Most jurisdictions require the use of a legal name for all legal and administrative purposes, and some jurisdictions allow or require a name change to be registered upon marriage.

The legal name may need to be used on various government-issued documents (such as a court order). The term is also used when a person changes their first or full name, usually after reaching a certain legal age (usually eighteen or older, although in several European countries it can be as low as fourteen). In many cultures, first names are reused, especially to commemorate ancestors or particularly admired, resulting in a limited repertoire of names that sometimes vary depending on spelling. Instructions from a judge to the jury before it begins deliberations on the substantive questions to be answered and the legislation to be applied. Double names are also common among Vietnamese names to make repeated names in the family. For example, Đặng Vũ Minh Anh and Đặng Vũ Minh Ánh, are two sisters who bear the names Minh Anh and Minh Ánh. Britannica.com: Encyclopedia articles on first names In criminal law, the constitutional guarantee that an accused receives a fair and impartial trial. In civil law, the legal rights of a person who is confronted with an adverse act that threatens liberty or property. Typically, a person receives a full legal name at birth and is listed on their birth certificate, although in many cases a person does not have a legally recognized first name until months or years after birth.

While legal names are important for establishing a formal and permanent identity, they are easily changed for reasons of false identity or professional opportunity. For women in Western countries, it is customary to change the surname at the time of marriage. Most states in the United States follow common law, which allows name changes for non-fraudulent purposes. This is actually the most common method, as most women who marry do not go to court according to the method prescribed by law, but simply use a new name (usually that of the husband, a custom that began under the theory of obscurcation, where a woman lost her identity and most of her rights when she married). [17] Since about 1800, the distribution of the popularity of first names has changed in England, Wales and the United States, so that the most popular names are losing popularity. For example, in England and Wales, the most popular female and male names for babies born in 1800 were Mary and John, with 24% of female babies and 22% of male babies bearing these names, respectively. [31] In contrast, the corresponding statistics for England and Wales in 1994 were Emily and James with 3% and 4% names respectively. Not only have Mary and John fallen out of favor in the English-speaking world, but the overall distribution of names has changed dramatically over the past 100 years for women, but not for men.

This has led to an increasing diversity of female names. [32] The Civil Code of Québec states that “every person exercises his civil rights under the name assigned to him and indicated in his act of birth”[2] and that the spouses retain their legal name at the time of marriage. [3] They can only be modified at the time of registration under the prescribed conditions and only if the person is a Canadian citizen and has resided in Quebec for at least one year. [4] [5] NOTE: The number does not display hyphens or apostrophes when entered in any of the name fields of the enumeration system. Generally, the official name of a person born in the United States is the name on their U.S. birth certificate (contains hyphens and apostrophes), unless the person`s name has changed due to certain events, such as a marriage or a valid court order for a name change. Chapter of the Insolvency Code that provides for “liquidation”, i.e. the sale of a debtor`s non-exempt assets and the distribution of the proceeds to creditors. To be eligible for Chapter 7, the debtor must pass a “means test”. The court assesses the debtor`s income and expenses to determine whether the debtor can sue under Chapter 7. A court order preventing one or more named parties from acting. An injunction is often issued to allow for a finding of fact so that a judge can determine whether a permanent injunction is warranted.

Governmental body empowered to settle disputes. Judges sometimes use the term “court” to refer to themselves in the third person, as in “the court read the pleadings.” The official name of a foreign-born person is the name given on their immigration document (including hyphens and apostrophes). In some jurisdictions, a government-appointed registrar may refuse to register a name that could cause harm to a child, which is considered offensive or impractical. In France, the agency can refer the case to a local judge. Some jurisdictions, such as Sweden, restrict the spelling of names. [Note 2] In Denmark, you don`t need to register a name for the child until they`re six months old, and in some cases, you can even wait a little longer for the child to get an official name. Since the civil rights movement of 1950-1970, the African-American names given to children strongly reflect the socio-political movements and philosophies of the African-American community. Since the 1970s, neological practices (creative, inventive) have become increasingly common and are the subject of academic studies. [38] The method by which a person can change their name is generally required by state law and involves filing a certificate with a court or filing an application with a court. Whether or not to grant a name change is usually a matter of judicial discretion. Many Japanese feminine names end in -ko (子), which usually means “child”.

However, the character, when used in first names, can have a feminine (adult) connotation.