文明发达的社会好像都有一人多名的事,大约以中国为最:除了正名正姓外,有小名、字、号、外号、笔名等名字。西方稍逊一等,字,号都没有,诨名也少见,只能多起几个名字以补不足。在欧美,从前名字统称 Christian name(教名、洗礼名),近来社会趋向多种文化形态,通常叫 first name 或given name。社会地位越高,给小孩起的名字越多,可能多至四五个,通常用的名字为方便起见则仅限于一两个。英美知名入物称法不一而足:有的用一个名字,如 Isaac Newton,William Shakespeare;有的用两个名字,如 George Bernard Shaw. There seems to be more than one person in a civilized society. About China is the most important. In addition to being a real name, there are nicknames, words, numbers, nicknames and pen names. The West is inferior, the word, the number does not, the name is also rare, only a few more names to make up for lack of. In Europe and the United States, the former name collectively referred to Christian name (Christian name, christening name), the recent social trends in a variety of cultural forms, usually called first name or given name. The higher the social status, the more names for children, up to four or five, and the usual names are for convenience only one or two. Some well-known Anglo-American objects are well-known: Some use a name such as Isaac Newton and William Shakespeare; others use two names, such as George Bernard Shaw.