Introduction
The CommonPerson schema provides a firstName
field and middleNames
array.
The change request, Adding support for given names #394, notes that it is not always possible to clearly identify a first name among a list of given names, and suggests that it might be appropriate to add a givenNames field, which is a list of given names, rather than an array.
This article describes how to use the existing firstName
and middleNames
items to address any likely naming scenario.
Special scenarios
- In the instance where there is a compound first name, and subsequent given names, the data holder places the compound first name in the
firstName
field and subsequent given names in themiddleNames
array. See instance C and C2 in the table below. - In the instance where the data holder cannot determine which are the first name and middle names, the data holder can use the
firstName
field and an emptymiddleNames
array. See instance C3 in the table below. - In the instance where a first name is not the initial given name, use the known first name as
firstName
and the remaining given names in order inmiddleNames
. See case E in the table below. - For a person with a single name, the single name should be in the
lastName
and other fields are empty. See case G in the table below. - For a person with no middle names,
middleName
is mandatory but the array is empty.
The following table provides examples for a range of situations.
Example | Full name | Given Names | firstName value |
middleNames[] value |
lastName |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
A - given names can be determined | Michael James Smith | "Michael", "James" | "Michael" | ["James"] | "Smith" |
B - hyphenated compound first name | Mary-Jane Smith | "Mary-Jane" | "Mary-Jane" | [ ] | "Smith" |
C - compound given names as first name cannot be separated | John Paul Taylor | "John Paul" | "John Paul" | [ ] | "Taylor" |
C2 - compound first names with middle names | John Paul Henry Arthur Taylor | "John Paul", "Henry", "Arthur" | "John Paul" | ["Henry", "Arthur" ] | "Taylor" |
C3 - many given names are held by the DH as a single string and decomposition cannot be determined | John Paul Winston Taylor | "John Paul Winston" | "John Paul Winston" | [ ] | "Taylor" |
D - many given names but only one first name | Julie Louise Amanda Alice Cooper | "Julie", "Louise", "Amanda", "Alice" | "Julie" | ["Louise", "Amanda", "Alice"] | "Cooper" |
E - many given names but the person associated by a non-first given name | Mary Barbara Hamilton Cartland | "Mary", "Barbara", "Hamilton" | "Barbara" | ["Mary", "Hamilton"] | "Cartland" |
F - Non-English name where surname is presented first | Nguyen Thi Minh Khai | "Thi", "Minh", "Khai" | "Thi" | ["Minh", "Khai"] | "Nguyen" |
G - Person only has one name | Rhianna | — | null |
[ ] | "Rhianna" |
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