name

A name is a label used to identify a person, place, or thing. Names enable reference, communication, and record-keeping, and they function in social identity and legal contexts. Names can be given at birth, inherited from family, or chosen by the bearer later in life. The study of names is called onomastics, with subfields such as anthroponymy (personal names) and toponymy (place names).

In language, a name is typically a proper noun distinguished from common nouns. The term "name" itself comes from Old English nama, from Proto-Germanic, reflecting long-standing cross-cultural practices of attaching labels to identities.

Names have components. Personal names often include a given name and a family name; some cultures employ middle names, patronymics or matronymics, and name order varies by tradition. Place names identify locations; corporate names mark organizations. Mononyms are single-name identities.

Naming practices reflect culture, religion, and social structure. Some societies honor ancestors, heroes, or deities in names; others adapt names to gender, status, or lineage. Legal regimes regulate what names can be used, and processes exist to change names after marriage, gender transition, or personal choice.

In modern administration, a name is a key data field in records, passports, and digital accounts, with procedures to ensure consistency and prevent fraud. Disambiguation can require additional identifiers (dates of birth, middle names). Privacy concerns arise when names are linked to sensitive information. See also onomastics and toponymy for related studies.