# Which culture gives one person the most different names? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 28, 2021, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-culture-gives-one-person-the-most-different-names/933955 "2021-02-28T15:08:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2021, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-culture-gives-one-person-the-most-different-names/933955/1 "2021-02-28T15:08:21Z")
I have read that it is common for Chinese people to be given a number of names: a “milk name” used by familiars, a “school name” for school, a “society name” for after marriage or starting work and a “Western” name if living abroad or working with those who do not speak one of the Chinese languages. Is this still true? Are there other cultures which use so many names? (Some Spanish and Latino cultures often use diminutives with familiars and sometimes blunt nicknames among friends, plus long names like Jesus Garcia Jhon Echeverria de Chimichanga - but I want the bigger number of distinctish names and not just the longest ones.) ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2021, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-culture-gives-one-person-the-most-different-names/933955/2 "2021-03-01T01:01:44Z")
Maybe this question is too hard. What other cultures routinely use different names at different stages of life? ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2021, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-culture-gives-one-person-the-most-different-names/933955/3 "2021-03-01T02:36:53Z")
> Jesus Garcia Jhon Echeverria de Chimichanga I’ve asked you before not to post my name on the internet! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Beesnest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e495f1/32.png) [@Beesnest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beesnest)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2021, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-culture-gives-one-person-the-most-different-names/933955/4 "2021-03-01T02:49:11Z")
Maybe you offended some people with your example. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2021, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-culture-gives-one-person-the-most-different-names/933955/5 "2021-03-01T03:10:24Z")
Christian cultures have a whole bunch of names for the Devil. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2021, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-culture-gives-one-person-the-most-different-names/933955/6 "2021-03-01T04:05:16Z")
Possibly, but no offense was intended. I was trying to think of a neutral place name. Then I remembered I love the sound of the word “chimichanga”. I could say it all day long. So mellifluous. Spanish is a truly beautiful language. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2021, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-culture-gives-one-person-the-most-different-names/933955/7 "2021-03-01T04:29:53Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Is this still true? Are there other cultures which use so many names? I know that in Classical Arabic there are conventions for various kinds of names, which were definitely used a lot prior to the global spread of modern western surname conventions. And I believe that some Arabic-speaking cultures still follow at least some of them. [Here’s an article about them:](https://heraldry.sca.org/names/arabic-naming2.htm) > [@](#): > > Arabic name elements may be divided into five main categories, with the last category having several sub-types. Persons are named by: > > 1. An _ism_ (pronounced IZM, as the final syllable in the word _dogmatism_ ), a personal, proper name given shortly after birth, usually on the third day, but sometimes on day of birth and sometimes on the seventh day after birth. Examples of such names are _Muhammad_ [Mohammed], _Musa_ [Moses], _Ibrahim_ [Abraham], _Ahmad_ . Adults are seldom called by these names; socially it is considered a slight to address or refer to an elder or parent by their _ism_ . > 2. A _kunya_ (pronounced COON-yah), an honorific name or surname, as the father or mother of someone; e.g., _abu Da’ud_ [the father of David], _umm Salim_ [the mother of Salim]. It is meant as a prefix of respect or reverence. Married persons (especially married ladies) are, as a general rule, simply called by their _kunya_ ( _abu_ or _umm_ + the name of their first son). When using a person’s full name, the _kunya_ precedes the personal name: _Abu Yusuf Hasan_ [the father of Joseph, Hasan], _Umm Ja’far Aminah_ [the mother of Ja’far, Aminah]. > 3. By a _nasab_ (pronounced NAH-sahb), a pedigree, as the son or daughter of someone; _e.g._ , _ibn 'Umar_ [the son of Omar], _bint `Abbas_ [the daughter of Abbas]). The _nasab_ follows the _ism_ in usage: _Hasan ibn Faraj_ [Hasan the son of Faraj], _Sumayya bint Khubbat_ [Sumayya the daughter of Khubbat]. Many historical personages are more familiar to us by their _nasab_ than by their _ism_ : e.g., the historian _ibn Khaldun_ , the traveler _ibn Battuta_ , and the philosopher _ibn Sina_ [Avicenna]. _Nasab_ s may be extended for several generations, as may be noted in some of the examples set forth below. However, the vast majority of _nasab_ s found in period sources are only one or two generations long. It is uncommon to find a _nasab_ which extends three generations back (considering the father of the individual as the first generation), and there are a very few examples which extend to four generations, such as _Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ja’far ibn al-Haddad_ .When the parent in a _nasab_ is referred to by his _kunya_ , the word _abu_ becomes _abi_ , _e.g._ , Muhammad’s son-in-law was _‘Ali ibn Abi Talib_ , ‘Ali the son of Abu Talib, or ‘Ali, the son of the father of Talib. > 4. A _laqab_ (pronounced LAH-kahb), a combination of words into a byname or epithet, usually religious, relating to nature, a descriptive, or of some admirable quality the person had (or would like to have); e.g., _al-Rashid_ [the Rightly-guided], _al-Fadl_ [the Prominent]. _Laqab_ s follow the _ism_ : _Harun al-Rashid_ [Aaron the Rightly-guided].One particular form of _laqab_ is formed on the pattern of _`Abd* [servant of] plus one of the 99 names of Allah; e.g., *‘Abd Allah* ( *`Abdullah_ ) [the servant of God], _`Abd al-Aziz* [servant of the Almighty], *`Abd al-Rahman_ [servant of the Merciful]. These _laqab_ s are used as, and in the place of, an _ism_ : _‘Abd al-Mun’im ibn Idris ibn Sinan_ . The feminine form of this type of _laqab_ is _Amat al-X_ , for example, _Amat Allah_ ( _Amatullah_ ), (female) servant of Allah.Sometimes what appear to be regularly-formed _laqab_ s are found used instead of, or in the place of, an _ism_ , _e.g._ , _al-Dahhak ibn ‘Ajlan_ , _Abu Talib al-Mufaddal ibn Salamah_ . (Such _laqab_ s might also be found used in the “normal” fashion for a _laqab_ : _Muhammad ibn Ya’la al-Dabbi al-Mufaddal_ .) I have not yet found a general rule by which _laqab_ s are used in the place of an _ism_ ; the only reliable guide for proper usage right now is to look at actual period examples. Where I have found _laqab_ s used as _ism_ s as well as “normal” _laqab_ s, they are marked in the names lists with a plus sign [+] and are found listed in both the list of _laqab_ s/ _nisba_ s used as _ism_ s and the list of _laqab_ s/ _nisba_ s.Some names are found both as an _ism_ and in a _laqab_ form: _Rashid_ and _al-Rashid_ , _Hasan_ and _al-Hasan_ , _Anbar_ and _al-Anbar_ , _Fadl_ and _al-Fadl_ . (These and other examples are marked in the names lists with a carat [^].) This is not, however, a general rule; not all _ism_ s may be modified in this way and used as _laqab_ s. Again, the only reliable guide for proper usage is to look at period examples. > 5. A _nisba_ (pronounced NISS-bah), a byname. _Nisba_ s follow the _ism_ or, if the name contains a _nasab_ (of however many generations), generally follow the _nasab_ . The three primary types of _nisba_ are: > 6. Occupational, derived from an person’s trade or profession; _e.g._ , _Muhammad al-Hallaj_ [Muhammad, the dresser of cotton]. > 7. Of descent, derived from the name of a person’s tribe of birth or family lineage: _Mughirah al-Ju’fi_ [Mughirah of the tribe of Ju’fi]; _Yusuf al-Ayyubi_ [Joseph the Ayyubid, Joseph of the family line of Ayyub]. > 8. Geographical, derived from the place of residence or birth: _Yaqub al-Dimashqi_ [Jacob of Damascus]. As is the case with _nasab_ s, some persons in history are known to us primarily by their _nisba_ : _Muhammad ibn Isma’il al-Bukhari_ , the author of an early collection of _hadith_ (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad) is better known from his place of birth, Bukhara, simply as _al-Bukhari_ . > > Sometimes what appear to be regularly-formed _nisba_ s are found used instead of or in the place of an _ism_ , _e.g._ , _‘Ali ibn al-Massisi_ , _Abu Ishaq al-Tabari_ . (Such _nisba_ s might also sometimes be found used in the “normal” fashion for a _nisba_ : _Ya’qub ibn Muhammad al-Massisi_ .) I have not yet found a general rule by which _nisba_ s are used in the place of an _ism_ ; the only reliable guide for proper usage right now is to look at actual period examples. Where I have found _nisba_ s used as _ism_ s as well as “normal” _nisba_ s, they are marked in the names lists with a plus sign [+] and are found listed in both the list of _laqab_ s/ _nisba_ s used as _ism_ s and the list of _laqab_ s/ _nisba_ s. > > Where more than one _nisba_ is used, as a general rule the geographic _nisba_ comes last, preceded by either the occupational _nisba_ or the tribal _nisba_ . I know of no examples of names which use all three types of _nisba_ . > > A brief note on the pronunciation of some _laqab_ s and _nisba_ s: the “l” in _al-_ is elided and the first letter of the following word is substituted for the following consonants: d ( _ad-Duri_ ), n ( _an-Najmi_ ), r ( _ar-Razi_ ), s ( _as-Salar_ ), sh ( _ash-Shanfara_ ), t ( _at-Tayyib_ ), th ( _ath-Thaqafi_ ), and z ( _az-Zubair_ ). These are, however, generally still written as _al-_ ; only the pronunciation is changed. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2021, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-culture-gives-one-person-the-most-different-names/933955/8 "2021-03-01T14:39:47Z")
I don’t know which culture gives one person the most names, but I know that inconsistent naming traditions (or more accurately traditions that are inconsistent with western conventions) can be a problem for some people seeking visas or residence cards or citizenship in the US. > **[Why Indians should follow global naming patterns](https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/whats-in-a-name-a-lot-when-you-travel/article9555603.ece)** > > In an age of growing anxiety over identities, conforming to global naming standards can help clear confusion ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2021, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-culture-gives-one-person-the-most-different-names/933955/9 "2021-03-01T14:46:14Z")
Obligatory link to a Monty Python sketch: ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2021, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-culture-gives-one-person-the-most-different-names/933955/10 "2021-03-01T15:09:14Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > I know that in Classical Arabic there are conventions for various kinds of names, which were definitely used a lot prior to the global spread of modern western surname conventions. The [guy who played Dr Bashir](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Siddig) on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is Sudanese and his full name is Siddig El Tahir El Fadil El Siddig Abdurrahman Mohammed Ahmed Abdel Karim El Mahdi, which is pretty impressive. I’d probably get a cramp writing that out, though. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2021, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-culture-gives-one-person-the-most-different-names/933955/11 "2021-03-01T17:24:23Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > The [guy who played Dr Bashir](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Siddig) on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is Sudanese and his full name is Siddig El Tahir El Fadil El Siddig Abdurrahman Mohammed Ahmed Abdel Karim El Mahdi, which is pretty impressive. It sure is!! Let me see if I can parse that nomenclature: “Mohammed” and “Ahmed” are isms. “El-Mahdi” is an occupational nisba (?). “Abdel Karim” is a laqaq, as is “Abdurrahman”. I don’t quite grok the role of the forenames, though. We need Johanna’s expertise! ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2021, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-culture-gives-one-person-the-most-different-names/933955/12 "2021-03-01T18:10:42Z")
I wonder how societies where people get long names like that handle paper forms or databases. I think in the US, most forms and databases allow for three names with maybe fifteen characters per name. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2021, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-culture-gives-one-person-the-most-different-names/933955/13 "2021-03-01T19:11:53Z")
So how does all that work anyway? Is it like my friend whose real first name is James, his professional name is “J.R.”, but he goes by “Rusty” with friends and family (on account of his childhood bright red hair)? ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2021, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-culture-gives-one-person-the-most-different-names/933955/14 "2021-03-01T19:59:49Z")
Basically. And maybe his teachers called him Jimmy, some university friends call him Dutch, and his wife calls him Bond. Except for a society instead of a friend of yours. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2021, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-culture-gives-one-person-the-most-different-names/933955/15 "2021-03-01T23:53:39Z")
Some indigenous American cultures do or did give people different names at different stages of their lives. A family friend was Turtle as a small child but became different names based on his athletic ability, then wisdom. We called him Joe because that was his white school name and the name he worked under. He was a lovely man and one of my favorite people as a child.