What is the difference between surname and title

They define the family name that has passed from one generation to the other and thus it is shared by family members. The surnames were developed in the Middle Ages in order to identify a person with same forename as the other. The surnames were based on various attributes like location, occupation, appearance, etc. In order to maintain this distinction criteria, it got transferred in next generations and even today, the same pattern is being followed. On the other hand, defining a title is difficult, as it is used in many contexts.

A title is also used to address a person. It provides the additional information depending upon the type of title. Apart from these, there are several other titles.

Titles are additional to personal name of the person, whereas surname is a part of personal name. Forename is the name that is chosen for you at birth whereas surname is your family name, which you share with the other members of the family. Therefore, this is the key difference between forename and surname. While a surname is shared by all members of the family, a forename differentiates a person from the other members of the family. Moreover, a forename is usually chosen by parents or guardians of the child whereas a surname is inherited.

Hence, we can consider this as another difference between forename and surname. Order of forename and surname differs in western countries and Asian countries. In most western countries, the surname follows the forename. However, in some Asian countries like Japan, China, and Korea, forename follows the surname. Thus, this is also an important difference between forename and surname. The key difference between forename and surname is that the forename is the name that your parents chose for you at birth whereas surname is your family name, which you share with the other members of the family.

Hasa is a BA graduate in the field of Humanities and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in the field of English language and literature. Her areas of interests include language, literature, linguistics and culture. Your email address will not be published. For me in that context "title" is somewhat graphical - if I can imagine the title written in bold, larger font above the item, it's a title - if not, it's a name.

For example, a picture title would fit well to a picture presented in a gallery, but hardly to a picture stored in some computer files. Lastly, speaking of name subjectively - I'd consider its usages a superset of the title's.

Whenever I can use the latter, I feel OK with using the former instead. Typically words from French are of a higher register than 'ordinary' Germanic words, for reasons that don't fit into this answer but are gone into at that first Wikipedia link.

Selecting 'title' instead of 'name' implies a respectful elevation of register. For example, in social contexts when we meet an high-status person - Barons, Dukes, etc - we call these forms of address 'titles'.

I suggest that attributing a 'title' implies deference, and that it's pleasant to defer to works of art, like books, or their components, like chapters. Using a 'name' implies a practical relationship with the object. Sign up to join this community. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top. Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group.

Create a free Team What is Teams? Learn more. What's the difference between "title" and "name"? Ask Question. Asked 7 years, 5 months ago. Active 2 years, 3 months ago. Viewed 37k times. I'm not sure when it's appropriate to use word "name", and when to use word "title".

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