How to arrange your first name, middle name and last name when filling out a form

Your first name is your personal, given or Christian name. It is the name chosen for a child, usually by the child's parents. It is also called forename. Your middle name is your name which comes between your first name and last name. Most persons don't have middle names; they only have their first names and last names. Your last name is your family name or surname. Maiden name is the previous name of a married woman before she took the name of her husband.

It is not enough bearing your name. It is also important you know how to arrange it when filling out a form, especially a form that does not provide columns for first name, middle name and last name but just name. Some persons have been denied scholarships, jobs, visas, and in most cases, had their certificates reprinted because their middle names were mistaken for their surnames, and vice versa. Those with just two names usually do not have this problem as compared to those with more than two names. With that said, let's look at the following full name and two ways the individual names can be arranged:

First name: Tammy

Middle name: Donald

Last name/Surname: Reuben

First order:  Tammy Donald Reuben

Second order: Reuben, Tammy Donald

The first order is straightforward and very common. In this order, you write your first name, followed by your middle name and last name/surname.

Unlike the first order, the second order is mostly used for citations although we can still write our names in this order. And this is why it deserves more attention. When writing your name in this order, your last name/surname comes first, and you must use a comma to separate it from the others. Then the first name follows; followed the middle name (as illustrated above).

Always ensure that your name is spelt correctly and arranged in the right order. A misspelt name, by law and logic, is not you.

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