# Immediate family member names on your phone **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 25, 2018, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immediate-family-member-names-on-your-phone/826698 "2018-12-25T21:50:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2018, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immediate-family-member-names-on-your-phone/826698/21 "2018-12-26T12:08:10Z")
First and last names, but immediate family members get an “aaa” before the surname to bring them to the top of the contacts list. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2018, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immediate-family-member-names-on-your-phone/826698/22 "2018-12-26T12:34:32Z")
I do first name/last name. It’s just what’s fastest for me. The exception being my parents, who I have in their as mom/dad. Personally, I think everyone should have at least one contact called Mom, Dad, Home (if other people live there) or ICE, that way if someone ever finds your phone (or you, unresponsive), they have some chance of getting a hold of someone that can help. I’ve told my daughter that she needs to change “My mom” and “My dad” to mom and dad for this same reason. Of course, with screen locks, this tends to be moot. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2018, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immediate-family-member-names-on-your-phone/826698/23 "2018-12-26T12:43:19Z")
Most of mine are first name only, or full business names. There are a few with first and last names, but I think I got bored with that, plus most folks in my life have different first names, so it’s not necessary. My husband’s name is listed with \* first so he comes up first in the list. We don’t have a home phone. I need to see what, if anything, I have ICE. (edited to add - Husband and daughter are under ICE heading.) I’m 65. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Shine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr_shine/32/464_2.png) [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2018, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immediate-family-member-names-on-your-phone/826698/24 "2018-12-26T12:46:16Z")
Everybody just gets first names until the need to differentiate, then I may change Claire to Claire (sis) and add in Claire T. Aged 40 The only exception is my ICE contact who is just listed ICE ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2018, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immediate-family-member-names-on-your-phone/826698/25 "2018-12-26T13:33:35Z")
I just looked at my phone, and apparently I have no real rules. I even have one listing as “dealer” for a guy I don’t really have a relationship with unless I can’t get weed from any other source. ---
**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2018, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immediate-family-member-names-on-your-phone/826698/26 "2018-12-26T18:40:11Z")
I’m 50, and the last names are there. Which is fortunate because I can then state the full name when asking Android Auto (verbally) to call my sister, with some assurance that it won’t call some other person in my address book having the same first name. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2018, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immediate-family-member-names-on-your-phone/826698/27 "2018-12-26T19:55:27Z")
First and Last. With cousins and all, a number of folks have the same first name. My Wife and I have 3 best friends named Lisa. That gets confusing just trying to figure out who we are talking about. Last weekend - “Lisa’s going to dinner with us, but Lisa is going to the play” umm… 58 yo. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2018, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immediate-family-member-names-on-your-phone/826698/28 "2018-12-26T20:01:52Z")
Mid 50s. I have hundreds of contacts on my phone. Some got ported from work when I used to have a Palm Pilot. Some are family, some friends, some “people in this hobby that I’m kinda friendly with”, some are contractors or merchants. Everyone has a first name and a last name unless I don’t know their full name. I also sometimes use “company name” for more information, like “plumber” or “bridge player” ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2018, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immediate-family-member-names-on-your-phone/826698/29 "2018-12-26T20:28:48Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > First and last names, but immediate family members get an “aaa” before the surname to bring them to the top of the contacts list. > mmm I do the AAA thing also, but I only use first names. “A”=small number of key numbers “AA”=immed family “AB” through “AD” =key numbers with decreasing level of usage “XX”= key work numbers/employees All others are just names, some are first name only, others are first and last 53 ---
**Author:** ![Weedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/weedy/32/301_2.png) [@Weedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weedy)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2018, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immediate-family-member-names-on-your-phone/826698/30 "2018-12-26T21:32:38Z")
I’m 47, first names only. Often followed by a label for how I know them Hannah (work), Alec (plumber). My family have a heart, \<3, after their names, which is something my daughter added when she was playing with my phone. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2018, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immediate-family-member-names-on-your-phone/826698/31 "2018-12-26T21:33:08Z")
43 years old. The only contact that does not have first and last name are my parents, who just come up as “ICE Mom and Dad” (ICE, “in case of emergency.” A few years back I just remember some PSA telling me to store an ICE number in my phone.) Everything else has first and last name because that’s how it’s stored in my contacts list on my computer, which gets ported over to the phone. Back when I had a flip phone, I just used whatever would require the least amount of keystrokes to type in. So generally first names, or first name and initial in case disambiguation was required. But now, the contact card for all these people has first and last name, so that’s what shows up. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2018, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immediate-family-member-names-on-your-phone/826698/32 "2018-12-26T21:51:25Z")
I’m 34 (with no kids.) I don’t always put anyone’s full name, or even real name, in my phone. As for my immediate family, my sister’s last name is in there, but her first name is a silly nickname. My dad’s number is under the one-word name of the family cat. My mom’s name is also a nickname in my phone - I haven’t had the heart to delete her number since she died five months ago. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2018, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immediate-family-member-names-on-your-phone/826698/33 "2018-12-26T21:59:40Z")
1. I usually put in full name followed by why they were a saved contact. So my sister, Jane Doe would be ‘Jane Doe Sister’ of cousin ‘Jesse Doe Relative’ most my contacts are ‘Bob Smith Customer’ and such. I have a few thousand contacts saved in my phone. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2018, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immediate-family-member-names-on-your-phone/826698/34 "2018-12-26T22:12:45Z")
1. Full names, but with nicknames. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2018, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immediate-family-member-names-on-your-phone/826698/35 "2018-12-26T22:17:50Z")
41 years old. All of my contacts are first name only, unless disambiguation is needed (which it mostly isn’t, on my list), in which case I have last name, also. Mom is just “Mom”, and when Dad was alive, he was just Dad. Couples only get listed by the name of whichever one I’m closest to. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2018, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immediate-family-member-names-on-your-phone/826698/36 "2018-12-26T22:19:35Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I enter everyone’s legal first given and family names, including my own. > > I would enter complete legal names, including all secondary given names (“middle names”) but the screen doesn’t comfortably display so many characters. Oh, my age … damn near close to 50 ---
**Author:** ![seal\_cleaner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@seal\_cleaner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seal_cleaner)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2018, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immediate-family-member-names-on-your-phone/826698/37 "2018-12-27T00:39:05Z")
First names only, except I have 3 Thomases and several Rosses in my family. 63 years old. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2018, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immediate-family-member-names-on-your-phone/826698/38 "2018-12-27T00:47:45Z")
Everyone gets first and last names. I’ve imported and exported to various personal and work address books, so that’s just easier. I also include addresses, birthdays, anniversaries and what ever other bits of info I want to remember. It’s not as if it’s harder to type “Greg” than "Dad’, and my phone will search on both. Age 50ish. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2018, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immediate-family-member-names-on-your-phone/826698/39 "2018-12-27T01:32:15Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > 41 years old. All of my contacts are first name only, unless disambiguation is needed (which it mostly isn’t, on my list), in which case I have last name, also. Mom is just “Mom”, and when Dad was alive, he was just Dad. Couples only get listed by the name of whichever one I’m closest to. Sometimes I list a spouse of a contact, but I don’t feel like I have someone’s contact info at all unless I have an entry for them. And most couples have different email and different cell phone numbers anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2018, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immediate-family-member-names-on-your-phone/826698/40 "2018-12-27T01:56:15Z")
1. Immediate family is first name only. Some friends are also first name only, but after that it’s both names. Dave was a pretty popular name 56 years ago. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immediate-family-member-names-on-your-phone/826698.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immediate-family-member-names-on-your-phone/826698.md?page=3)