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. For this reason, people created a new way for expression that they began to add their father’s or manor’s name behind their given name. In fact, the additional phrases which are called “bynames” are the embryos of English family names. They played an important transitional part in the development of English family names. Gradually, these bynames were turned into hereditary family names. From the beginning of the 15th century nearly all English people inherited family names at birth and the word “surname” was used with the meaning we give it today. It had been borrowed from French “surnom”, deriving from Latin super, and was used at first to mean “an extra name” or “a nickname”. Modern French translates “surname” as nom de femile, so in English surname is also called family name. 3.2.2 Forms of names and cultural connotation (i) Forms of names In both Chinese and English, the personal names can be divided into surnames and given names. A person’s family name is inherent. He/She got his/her family name before he/she was born. Therefore family names are not selectable. The case is different in given names. Given names are not inherent but selectable; one can choose his given names. But the way in which these names are used varies in the two languages. A fundamental difference is the order in which these names occur. In Chinese, the family name comes first and the given name is placed after it. And there are two kinds of family name, one is single surname, the other is double surname. For example, 王国强(Wang Guoqiang), 司马相如(Sima Xiangru). Here 王(Wang) and 司马(Sima) are family names, 国强(Guoqiang) and 相如(Xiangru) are given names. However, in English, the family name is at the end, and the given name is in the front. “The given name could be divided into Christian name (first name) and middle name (second name)”. [13] P58 In western counties, most people have middle names, the number of which can be one, two, three or even more than tens, such as “an American writer Robert Peter Tristram Coffin and a British writer Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde”.[14] P11 Here Robert and Oscar are given names, Peter Tristram and Fingal O’Flahertie Wills are middle name, Coffin and Wilde are family names. Middle names are only used in very formal situation for official purpose, such as on a document. Usually people omit them or use the capital letters instead. Therefore the writer mentioned above is called Robert Coffin and Oscar Wilde on most occasions. As most English –speaking people believe in Christianity or Catholic, according to the religious custom, a baby who was born around one week should be baptized and named in the church. So the given name can also be called baptized name or Christian name. Although given names are frequently referred to as Christian names, this does not mean that the person is a Christian or the name has been given by the church. Nowadays, it is usually used as a synonym for “given name”. Many parents take their baby to church to be baptized, but the given names are chosen by their parents before this. And even if a person has never been baptized, their names can still be called Christian names. (ii) Cultural connotation The opposite orders of Chinese and English names are reflection of different cultures on personal names. Chinese family names represent the relationship of clan, group and consanguinity; Traditional Chinese culture emphasizes the generality. Therefore, in this kind of culture atmosphere, Chinese peo