Identified errors:
This is not correct for Romania: officially it’s Surname + Given-name, live in Hungary.
Not true for Greece, it’s just First-name + Surname. It just happens that some Surnames are derived from the father’s name (think “Anderson”).
Hopefully this isn’t too pedantic, but it shouldn’t say “first name” on any of these. It should say “given name” or “personal name”.
The entire point of the map is that it isn’t the first name for some cultures.
Good observation
it’s funny Portugal and Spain are same-y but the other way around!
And I didn’t know it was a thing in Greece to use the patronymic too
Greece et al.: Orthodox Church tradition maybe?
oh right that makes sense
It isn’t a thing, the map is wrong for Greece.
Thanks for clearing that up :)
How long do Spanish and Portuguese names get?
Very very long. I was entering a friend from Madeira into my phone a few weeks ago, and theirs was technically 7 names long.
Add to that the “so, which is your surname?” and getting 4 possible answers, all of which are in fact surnames.
There is also my friend who is half Spanish, half Portuguese. All his names shuffle around all the time depending on who he’s speaking to.
This is kinda weird… Yeah, they can get big. Most usual is to have 4 names (2 first names + mother + father)
Anyway, it’s kinda weird because I wouldn’t give anyone more than first and last name… And that’s what most people do, (unless we’re in the rare situation where two people share the same first + last name). Why was your friend making you write his full name?
It was mostly to accentuate the stupidity of the whole situation, rather than directly being a bastard :)
When someone asks for my surname, sometimes I give my mother’s surname, sometimes my father’s surname and sometimes both, depending on my mood
The map is incorrect for Ukraine. It’s either first name + surname, or surname + first name + father’s name for the documents.
Documents always start with a surname in most countries. But traditional name order in Ukraine is as pictured, because it comes from orthodox Christians church. Same as in Greece, for example. Most people today don’t use father names anymore though.
The map shows a split between the Catholic and orthodox church with a few countries being an exception from the rule.
In Spain of course your parents have 2 surnames too. So your first surname is your father’s first surname, his 2nd surname is dropped ( first surname of his mother ) Your second surname is the first surname of your mother, her 2nd gets dropped too.
In the end always the name line of the females get dropped.
That’s so shitty. In the Netherlands they’ve just started to allow 2 surnames. One of the best proposals I’ve heard is that you would take your father’s father’s name, and your mother’s mother’s name. That way men continue the male name line, and women continue the female name line.
But then siblings don’t share the same last name, which might maybe cause administrative issues down the line?
They do! Siblings both carry their father’s father’s name and their mother’s mother’s name.
Kids of siblings will not have the same family name if the siblings have different gender, but that shouldn’t be an issue
Interesting! But then how do you deal with the next generation?
- Boy Adam-Bernard marries Girl Copper-Dale
- What are their children’s last names?
See my comment above:
One of the best proposals I’ve heard is that you would take your father’s father’s name, and your mother’s mother’s name.
Oh sorry, it makes sense indeed!
Historically, yes; however, they passed a law some years ago to allow for the mother’s surname to be the first surname, as it happens in Portugal. Nonetheless I am not sure how popular this is.
In Iceland occasionally the mother’s name is used instead of the fathers
Most of the ones I know with mother’s name in Iceland have an extremely uninvolved father.
Not true for Greece, it’s just First-name + Surname. It just happens that some Surnames are derived from the father’s name (think “Anderson”).
Not true for Greece, it’s just First-name + Surname. It just happens that some Surnames are derived from the father’s name (think “Anderson”).
Thanks, I’ll add this to the main post
This is not correct for Romania: officially it’s Surname + Given-name, like in Hungary.
Thank you for pointing this out!
What happens on blue countries when mother and father don’t have the same surname? For example when they are not married or the mother didn’t bother to change her surname
In spain and portugal is funny found a person with both surnames same
![[Map] Usual name order in European countries](https://jlai.lu/pictrs/image/cf8a9877-65aa-4196-b539-50e1f2180601.png){kind=link}