NationStates

Jugoslav people tend to have a given name and a surname. Middle names are rare, and legally treated as second parts a given name.

Given names are typically chosen from Orthodox Christian saints. While families will share a patron saint (a family Slava), they will typically also take a personal saint of their name. The most common origins of given names are

Male
1. Ivan/Jovan/Јohan(Иван/Јован/Јохан): All variations of John, whether referring to the Baptist, the Evangelist, Chrysostom, or another.
2. Đorđe(Ђорђе): The Great Martyr St. George. Very popular due to the prominence of the Saint and importance to the military tradition, as well as it being the name of recent Emperors. Technically the most popular single name (in terms of spelling)
3. Mateja/Matija(Матеја/Матија): Both variations of Matthew or Mathias (A name given to two Apostles: The Evangelist and the one chosen to replace Judas Iscariot among the Twelve in Acts), Matija was the leading variation for much of history, but the Mateja version, as well as the name in general, was popularized by the Royal Martyr Mateja I, Mateja II (the great), and Current Emperor Mateja IV
4. Nikola(Никола): St Nicholas is a very popular saint, and the name is also favored because of famed Jugoslav inventor Nikola Tesla.

Female:
1. Ana(Aна): The Righteous ancestor of God and mother of the Bogorodica (Virgin Mary), as well as of Mateja the Great's Empress-Consort
2. Marija(Марија): As with many Christian countries, the name of the Bogorodica, Mary Magdalene, Mary of Bethany, Mary of Egypt and more is very popular among women.
3. Katerina(Катерина): The Great Martyr St. Katherine.
4. Jovana(Јована): A female version of Jovan, it was popularized by the Empress-Consort Jovana, born in Italy, who did much to endear herself to the people during her husband's reign, which included World War Two.

Surnames in Jugoslav culture evolved from Patronymics (ending in ić, vić, and ović). While some, especially nobles, took a patronymic as a fixed inter-generational surname as early as 1018, for most commoners, fixed surnames were not formed until the registration of men for service in the War of 1720. Examples of Patronymic Names include Petrović (Петровић) or Peter's son, Popović (Поповић) or Priest's son, and even the Royal dynasty name Vojislavijević (Војиславијевић) meaning Son of Voјislav. There are some non-patronymic names, like Tesla(Тесла), Broz(Броз), and Vuk(Вук).

Most names in Gandoor are classified into one of three categories: English names, Japanese names, and Russian names, reflecting the fact that slightly more than 86% of the population have ancestry from these cultures.

English names in our nation operate identical to how they do in other English-speaking countries, they often consist of a given name and a family name, with middle names (also referred to as a 'second given name') not being uncommon. The same applies to Japanese names, which consist of a family name and a given name. Unlike in Japan, however, we do not maintain a list of kanji permitted for usage in names, with the only requirement being that a name written in Japanese must exclusively be written using either kanji, hiragana, or katakana.

Russian names can vary slightly differently than ones used in Russia due to one factor: the patronymic name. It is not uncommon for people of Russian ancestry in our nation to either not use a patronymic at all or simply use a middle name not related to their father's name. Our 12th Prime Minister, Nikolai Semenov is an example of the latter: his father's name was Sergey, but his middle name isn't Sergeyevitch, it is Olanovich (in this case, his middle name came from a family friend of theirs, Olan Jackson, with the standard masculine suffix as used for a normal patronym)

The Legal Guidelines
1] All boys shall be given male-gendered first, middle, and last names by their birth-parents or lawful guardians.
2] All girls shall be given female-gendered first, middle, and last names by their birth-parents or lawful guardians.
3] Boys and girls may be given unisex first, middle, and last names if gender-specific names are undesired.
4] All names given to boys and girls for record on the birth certificate must be of pure-Germanic or at least ascertainable three-fourths Germanic etymology.
▪️Male Examples (ACCEPTABLE): "Erwin"; "Kenneth"; "Gunther"
▪️Male Examples (UNACCEPTABLE): "Miguel"; "Alexander"; "Desmond"
▪️Female Examples (ACCEPTABLE): "Ethel"; "Summer"; "Brooklyn"
▪️Female Examples (UNACCEPTABLE): "Maria"; "Miyamoto"; "Shenaynay"
5] Anyone seeking a name-change shall abide by the aforementioned rules stated unless citizenship has been surrendered or revoked.

Naming conventions vary by subculture throughout Darussalam but can be approximately generalized as the following.

The given name (اسم), name as known at least by close family and companions, generally a birth name or (among Muslims) officially given on the seventh day of the birth.
The patronymic (نسب), very rarely a matronymic.
The cognomen or courtesy name (لقب), generally assumed on adulthood, also used to refer to regnal name of the caliph-emperors, traditionally name inscribed on coins minted under their reign.
The patrial or geographical surname (نسبة), indicated one's baradari affiliation, allegiance to an ancestral house or lineage association, or regional-metropolitan residence.

Also used in informal capacity are teknonyms, school names, art names/pseudonyms, nicknames, and others.

Naming conventions change from place to place and from culture to culture.

People of Brazilian and Japanese culture are free to register their children's names as they like (to a certain point, see ahead), regardless of where they are born, although it is obligatory to have a first name and a static, non-changeable family name. For every culture, from Argentine to Yankee, there is a list of accepted names. Names such as Ellen and Michael are banned for Brazilians and Argentines, but Yankees and Canadians can use such names. Some alternative spellings are permitted, as well as foreign names. For Brazilians, Giovanna and Theo are fine to use, as well as their alternatives Giovana and Téo (the Portuguese form), although the original form is preferred. Mariah and Kauan are not permitted, however, since they're considered a corruption of the name.

People of every other culture must register their child's name according to the rules of the territory they are born. If a Mexican child is born in Japan, he must be registered as Pacheco Guillermo and not Guillermo Pacheco (Surname must come first). If a Yankee child is born in Brazil, she must be named Laura Green Armstrong and not simply Laura Armstrong (the mother's surname must be registered, and it must come before the father's surname). A Colombian child born in Michigan must be named Rafael Godoy and not Rafael Godoy Contreras (he must drop the mother's surname). You get the point now, do you?

Under Cortexisian naming conventions, a citizen must have at least one personal name (only one name being most common, but two or three are not that rare either) and a surname. After marriage, couples can take either of their surnames as their new surname, or choose a new one.

There are only a few limitations on what a child can be named. Aside from rules that apply to free speech, the name must also be of a "reasonable length".
Aside from that, names can essentially be any sequence of noises that, in your opinion, sound good together and can be written down.

Children are commonly named after machinery, periodic table, planets..., depending on the interests of their parents. It is quite common for an adult Cortexisian to change their name to align with their own preferred scientific field.

Naming conventions vary between the different language communities in Estrago.

In English communities, names consits of a given name, middle name (optional) and last name. Last names are hereditary, most children bearing the name of their father. Upon marriage it is customary for the wife to adopt her husband's name. However, nowadays many women choose to keep their maiden name.
Hyphenated last names are relatively uncommon. If they exist the man's maiden name always precedes the wife's, and both partners are henceforth known by the hyphenated name.

In Spanish-speaking communities, names consist of any number of given names and usually two last names.
One's last names are formed by combining the first last name of one's father's and one's mother's, in that order.
The child of Señor Sanchez Zapatero and Señora De Guzman Gomez bears the last name of Sanchez de Guzman.
When marrying, both spouses usually keep their original names.

In Estragoneese-speaking parts of the country, names also consist of any number of given names and a last name.
People keep their last name for their entire lives. Adopting the partners name is not customary, combining and hyphenating names is not practiced.
Children are given their father's last name, unless the father is unknown. In the past such a child would be given one of a number of "bastard" names. This practice has fallen out of fashion in the later half of the last century. Instead these children are now given their mother's last name, or any other existing last name.

In marriages with partners from different linguistic backgrounds the partners have certain freedoms in what tradition they want to adopt. When a couple from one community marries in the territory of another (e.g. English-speaking couple lives in Spanish-speaking city) they usually follow the tradition of their ancestral community.

Given names in all languages (also foreign ones) are subject to strict conventions: only names from an approved list (which is very extensive) are allowed. Parents can petition for new names to be added to the list.
By restricting the choice of names for children the state stops parents giving silly names to their children.
The important criteria for a name to be accepted are:
- it must be gendered: boy's and girl's names must be recognised as such. Since different languages gender names in different ways, some names can be both boys' and girls' names (e.g. Andrea - typically female but since in Italian it's also a boy's name, it can be used for either sex - people with ambiguous first given names must have a second recongisably gendered name, eg. Andrea-Tomaso or Andrea-Bridget. The hyphenated double-name is their legal name, but most use only the first part in their daily lives.).
- it must have recorded history (e.g. the name James has existed for a long time, and thus gets a pass, however Sunshine does not, and therefore is not allowed.)
- spelling must also have historic precedent. You can't just turn Carlos into Karlos.

Changing one's given name later in life is very difficult and involves a court-hearing where the applicant must present "convincing reasoning" for their request. Most requests are denied. Changes to last names are usually only approved after divorce (back to maiden name) or to prevent harm that might be caused by the last name(s) (e.g. carrying the name of an abusive parent, or if your parent has commited a serious crime and you can be recoginsed to be related by name only, e.g. if it's a very rare name).

The above rules alos apply to foreigners and their children. People seeking residency or even citizenship, and whose names do not comply with the rules are legaly required to change them. (Recently a story about an American couple with a daughter called Sasha broke international news because the girl's had to be ammended to Sasha-Maria, because Sasha is a boys-only name in Estrago.)

Naming conventions are fairly straighforward here, with the following format: Given name + Middle name + Family name

While the middle name is optional, it is usually the given name of a grandparent or great-grandparent. The family name is often taken from the father, though it can be the mother's family name if she has not chosen to change it at marriage.

And yes, a husband can take his wife's family name instead. It's not common but not totally unheard of, especially where the husband and his biological relatives do not get along.

Standard Western naming conventions are the primary system - given name + middle name + surname. A minority of the population has no middle name, nor do they have more than 1 surname. The surname of an unmarried woman is the same as her fathers' surname. Married women, by tradition, change their surname to the surname of their husband, or may hyphenate her family's surname with that of her husband. There is no set or defined procedure for taking surnames at a homosexual wedding. There is usually an agreement in place, or if there isn't, they keep their respective surnames or both hyphenate.

The naming conventions in Somiens-et-Haveras are diverse and largely dependent on the culture of the person in question. Current naming traditions, especially among those of predominately French ancestry, have also been informed by the revolution and therefore depart from traditional French customs.

Among those of French ancestry, the adoption of the mother's surname has become the norm since the revolution, in reaction to the patriarchal traditional French custom of surnames, and as a way for supporters of the December Revolution to signify their commitment to gender equality and socialism. It has also become customary for married couples to retain their own surnames. It is typical for those of French ancestry to have one or two given names, or a hyphenated name, such as Jean-Luc. Names taken from the Catholic calendar of saints are still commonplace, however, immediately following the December Revolution these names saw a marked drop-off in popularity, along with the rise of names viewed to hold revolutionary significance, with the surnames of popular socialist figures such as Lenin, Marx, Luxemburg, and Engels all becoming popular given names. Since the 1990's, novel revolutionary names have seen a decrease in popularity, while traditional names have seen a resurgence.

Adoption of the mother's surname has been slower among the Japanese population, though in the 21st century it has begun to pick up some momentum. Surnames amongst people of primarily Japanese descent are written before their given names, in the traditional manner. Japanese Somiénois-et-Haverasiens typically have a single surname and a single given name.

Among those of mixed ancestry, it is not uncommon to see Japanese and French surnames and given names mixed, and the order of these names is often determined by the surname, with French surnames taking the given name first, and Japanese surnames taking the given name second. However, this is not always the case, and ultimately it is determined at the individual's discretion.

During French colonial rule it became common practice among those of Indigenous descent to take French names. However, since the December Revolution, there has been a conscious movement away from French names, with Indigenous parents giving their children given names derived from Hawe'ale words, and some individuals choosing to replace their surname or given name with Hawe'ale words.

As a result of the revolution, the traditional use of honorifics has been almost completely abolished, with most honorifics beings replace by the title Camarade (English: Comrade, Japanese: 同志, dōshi, abbreviation C^mr). Camarade is typically used between the middle aged and older in polite conversation, and is to be used at all times between members of the Socialist Republican Party. The honorific Camarade is given before the name, and the given name is often omitted. For example, Jean-Luc Picard would be referred to as either Camarade Jean-Luc Picard, or more succinctly Camarade Picard. In more informal usage, the surname may instead be omitted. The plural Camarades (abbrevation C^mrs) is used when addressing a group, or when listing off names.

Some honorifics denoting a specific profession or academic qualification are still used. For those in the legal profession the honorific Maître (English: Master, abbreviation M^e) is used for men and women, and the honorific Docteur (English: Doctor, abbreviation D^r) is used by men and women who hold a Doctorate, as well as for physicians, dentists, and psychologists. These honorifics are typically used to the exclusion of Camarade.

For members of the People's Congress of Somiens-et-Haveras, the honorific Membre du Congrès (abbreviation M^dc), and is usually affixed after the name, and always used in conjunction with Camarade, i.e. C^mr Jean-Luc Picard M^dc.

Some newcomers keep their Celestial names, which usually follow the traditional order:

Given Name -- Father's Given Name (feminine version, if female) -- Mother's Given Name (masculine version, if male) -- Place of Birth (planet/moon/habitat/ship/ring etc.) -- System of Birth -- Status -- Chosen Name -- Surname (patrilineal)

For example: Hathor Marond Alannis Vartonis Cuela Freeman Bertonis Alaxarian, known to his friends and family as Bertonis (or just 'Bert'), or in more formal settings Hathor Alaxarian

Most people ditch their Celestial names, usually due to the circumstances of their arrival here. And of course, many people have been born here and never had a Celestial name to begin with. Makarandie names are usually quite simple, just:

Given Name (can be legally altered) -- Surname (can come from any parent, or all of them)

Without middle names or additional clutter. This even applies to our ruling Princess, who has consciously rejected the use of a Celestial name despite her position and simply goes by Laenowa Rubynzin on official documents

Apian citizens are given numbers, not names. The number is stored in mandatory microchips placed throughout the body; this makes tracking citizens much easier.