Personal name

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A personal name, full name or prosoponym (from Ancient Greek prósōpon – person, and onoma – name) is the set of names by which an individual person or animal is known. When taken together as a phrase, they all relate to that one individual. In many cultures, the term is synonymous with the birth name or legal name of the individual. Historically and colloquially, the term "personal name" has also been synonymous with "given name" or "first name", in exclusion of other types of names that may make up an individual's full name. In linguistic classification, personal names of people are studied within a specific onomastic discipline, called anthroponymy. In Western culture, nearly all individuals possess at least one given name (also known as a first name, forename, or Christian name), together with a surname (also known as a last name or family name). In the name "James Smith", for example, James is the first name and Smith is the surname. Surnames in the West generally indicate that the...

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