Hi, Alexander!  Recently you wrote in a message to All:   
      
    AK>  When you ask "What is your name?" what do you mean?   
      
      
              Depends on the circumstances.  John Jacob Jingleheimer-Schmidt   
   might prefer to leave out some parts of his name for everyday purposes... and   
   I think most people would understand that.  But what parts are typically left   
   out under what conditions?  I'm glad you've explained the context here....  :-)   
      
      
      
    AK>  The first name, second name, or both?   
      
      
              If you & I were introducing ourselves because we were neighbours,   
   or if we had just met at a social gathering arranged by a mutual friend, the   
   first name would probably be sufficient.  But this generality presupposes a   
   number of things... e.g. that the setting is informal, that any difference in   
   age &/or in socioeconomic status is irrelevant, and that both parties feel   
   comfortable with the arrangement.  It has the advantage that they can chat   
   amicably, yet reserve judgement on whether or not to disclose any more   
   personal information....  :-))   
      
      
      
    AK>  For instance, a teacher asks this question of an unknown boy   
    AK>  in the school. Should he ask "what is your second name?"   
      
      
              Speaking as a teacher:  Unless the school was very small I'd need   
   to know more than the first name to distinguish one kid from another...   
   especially if their parents chose it during a spate of increasing trendiness.    
   When one of my former students rushes up to me enthusiastically & says "Hi...   
   I'm Cathy (or Debbie, or whatever name +/- half my female students had back   
   then)... remember me??" I must confess I probably won't unless they give me a   
   few more clues.  As a teacher & as a parent I also understand that the school   
   has to use a person's legal name on all official records, and there is a lot   
   of paperwork involved in establishing that everybody is who they say they   
   are.  If Molly's legal name is Molly Moon the school has no authority to   
   change it without documentation which her new parents can't supply unless   
   they've formally adopted her.  But I gather Molly is new to this school &   
   hasn't voiced her concerns to the staff.   
      
              Depending on the age of your unknown boy, I would be inclined to   
   say "family name" or "surname" rather than "second name".  Around these parts   
   it is more common than not for people to have two or more given names... and   
   I'm told they may not appear in the order we're used to, relative to the   
   family name, if the individual in question has just arrived from China or   
   SomePlace Else & does not as yet know how to translate their given name into   
   something which those of us who don't speak their lingo will remember &/or   
   think we understand.  There's another possible complication too, if the   
   teacher doesn't know a boy's previous history.  I can't say for sure whether   
   you'd automatically identify yourself as "Koryagin" nowadays, if you'd spent   
   the last umpteen years in a British private school, because I don't move in   
   those circles.  But I see plenty of evidence in the works of various authors   
   that the tradition lasted for a long time....  :-)   
      
      
      
      
   --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+   
    * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)