Harlan Grove said:
And how would you in Denmark write a rule that could also handle
Nguyen Van Diep
The rules for names in Denmark are:
1. You can have one (and only one) last name.
2. You can have one or more first names.
3. You can have one or more middle names.
4. Middle name(s) are the name(s) between first name(s) and last name.
A middle name is a name, which in principle is a last name (i.e. not a first
name)
The name
Jens Peter Skov Kristensen
has two first names: 'Jens' and 'Peter' because 'Peter' also
is a first name like in the name 'Peter Madsen'
one middle name: 'Skov', because 'Skov' also is a last
name like in the name 'Frank Skov' AND because
'Skov' cannot be found as a first name.
one last name 'Kristensen'
As for 'Nguyen Van Diep'
Since Van is with an uppercase "V", it would be
considered a middle name, because Van as a first name
is not common (if found at all) in Denmark, so one first
name, one middle name and one last name.
I'm not familiar with the American naming conventions, but
since 'Van' is found as a first name (Van Morrison?
(Great singer IMO!)), my guess is that 'Nguyen Van Diep' in
USA would contain two first names and one last name.
All this is pure guesswork, and it's difficult (or may be even
impossible) to lookup foreign names (foreign to this country)
after the national naming convention.
But that's part of names being interesting stuff
BTW in Denmark we're in for a new naming convention in
the near future, a convention which radically differs from the
one, we have now. Not with the above mentioned points, but
in the way we are allowed to create new names.
The 'name pond' is rapidly filling up, so we have to see some
new ways of creating names, if we are not to be crowded
with names like Hansen, Jensen etc. Not that there is anything
wrong with these names, but it is becoming increasingly harder
to see the relationship (if any!) between families with the same
last name.
LeoH
