Name order, titles, and suffixes
A single name field mixes given names, family names, titles, and suffixes in no fixed order.
What it looks like
Before
| full_name | title | given_name | family_name | suffix |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Maria Lopez | · | · | · | · |
| Okafor, Daniel Jr. | · | · | · | · |
| Mr Tomas Berg III | · | · | · | · |
| Nguyen Van An | · | · | · | · |
After
| full_name | title | given_name | family_name | suffix |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Maria Lopez | Dr. | Maria | Lopez | · |
| Okafor, Daniel Jr. | · | Daniel | Okafor | Jr. |
| Mr Tomas Berg III | Mr | Tomas | Berg | III |
| Nguyen Van An | · | needs a decision | needs a decision | · |
How it happens
- The form had one box for the whole name, so each person filled it in their own way.
- Naming traditions differ. Some put the family name first, some use two family names, and some use a single name.
- Lists exported family name first, with a comma, were combined with lists written given name first.
What it breaks
- Sorting by family name fails when the family name is not in a predictable position.
- Greetings come out wrong, such as a letter that opens with a title or a suffix as if it were a first name.
- Matching against another list misses people whose parts are in a different order.
How to spot it
- Search for commas in the name column. A comma usually means family name first.
- List the most common first and last words. Titles and suffixes show up at the top.
- Count the words in each value. Names with one word, or with four or more, need a closer look.
How to fix it
- Keep the original value. Splitting a name loses information if it goes wrong.
- Move recognized titles and suffixes to their own columns, using an agreed list.
- Split the rest only where the order is clear, such as a comma form.
- Do not force every name into given and family parts. Where the tradition is unknown, ask or leave the name whole.
- Name variantsThe same person or organization appears under several spellings, orders, and abbreviations.
- Multiple values in one cellA single cell holds a list, or two different facts, joined by a comma, slash, or line break.
- Inconsistent capitalizationThe same value appears in capitals, in lowercase, and in mixed case, and software treats each as different.
TermsParsing, Standardization, Field, Human review