Naming Practices

The umbrella term naming practices refers to titles and terms of address, personal names, and last names. Titles and terms of address are prefixes added to a person’s name generally used to convey respect or recognize an individual’s accomplishment or social position. While titles are used in a broad range of contexts (e.g., military, academic, religious), in the context of LGBTQ families, titles such as Mx. (a gender-neutral title), Ms. (used by adult females without reference to marital status), or Daddy and Papa (two equivalent father terms used in the context of a two-father family) are of particular relevance. Personal names refer to an individual’s first name, which differentiates the individual from other family members with a shared last name. Personal names, traditionally bestowed upon ...