From: Eero T. <ee...@us...> - 2008-08-13 20:57:51
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Hi, On Wednesday 13 August 2008, Thomas Weichmann wrote: > This has to do with some cultures having many names. For instance many > (if not most) Germans have several names and they must legally select a > "ruf Name" (i think that is right, Germans please correct me). So if my > birth certificate said Heinz Thomas Andreas Karl Weichmann, and my > parents selected my call name as Thomas, I would usually use that even > though my legal name is the whole long thing. Finland has also a concept of "call names". In Finland It's one of the fore names that is selected (also by the parents I think) as being what you're normally called by (I have two forenames, Eero & Tapio, but nobody uses anything else than Eero). Which of the fore names is the "call name" should be indicated in official documents (e.g. by underlining). > Again, not sure if I have the details right, but it is something similar > to that. - Eero |