A given name is a name which specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name.

A given name is a name given to a person, as opposed to an inherited one – such as a family name.

So, strictly speaking, the term excludes names acquired by other means – such as changing one's name. This article does not generally assume the strict definition. In most European countries and in countries that have cultures predominantly influenced by Europe (North and South America and Australia), the given name usually comes before the family name (but often not in lists and catalogs), and so is known as a forename or first name.

But in most cultures of the world, including those in Africa and most of East Asia (for example in Japan, China, Korea and Vietnam), and also in Hungary, the given names traditionally come after the family name. In those cases, even part of the given name may be shared among all members of a given generation in a family and the family's extensions, to differentiate those generations from other generations.

In fact, even in some Western countries, the family name is used last only in writing and formal speech, and the inverse order is still very common in normal everyday speech. In addition, many if not most Western cultures originally used the family name first even in writing and formal speech. Interestingly, most Western credit card companies use the family name first and without a comma. This is in violation of normal spelling rules observed in the West in situations in which it is convenient to list family names first (e.g. in libraries and lists). Under the common Western naming convention, people generally have one or more forenames (either given or acquired). If more than one, there is usually a main forename (for everyday use) and one or more supplementary forenames. But sometimes two or more carry equal weight (see the list of well-known people known by two or more forenames).

Beyond the fact that forenames come before the surname there is no particular ordering rule. For some people the main forename is at the beginning, so they have a first name and one or more middle names. For others nothing comes between the main forename and the surname, so they have a central name and one or more precursory names. It is, of course, also possible for a person to have both precursory and intervening names. (The existence of a list of well-known people in these last two categories perpetuates the popular belief that it is in some way remarkable for the main forename not to be placed first.)

Given names are often used in a familiar and friendly manner in informal situations. In more formal situations the surname is used instead, unless it is necessary to distinguish between people with the same surname. The idiom "on a first name basis" alludes to the fact that using a person's given name betokens familiarity.

it is necessary to distinguish between people with the same surname. The idiom "on a first name basis" alludes to the fact that using a person's given name betokens familiarity.