First name

A first name is part of a personal name.
The first name identifies a specific person, and differentiates that person from other members of a group, such as a family or clan, with whom that person shares a common surname. In most European (and European-derived) cultures, the first name usually comes before the family name (it is from this practice that the term "first name" is derived). However, in Hungary, parts of Africa and most of East Asia, the family name comes before the first name.
Whatever order it comes in the personal name, though, the first name is the primary name used to differentiate a particular person from other persons. (In some cases, a secondary attribute, such as middle name or the initial letter thereof, is used to further discriminate between people who have the same first name and surname).
Mononymous persons do not have separate first names.
Broadly speaking, first names may be divided into three categories:
*Given name, which is a name is bestowed upon (given) to a child, usually by its parents, at or near the time of birth.
*Hypocorism, which is not bestowed at birth, but is an affectionate alteration (usually a diminutive) of the given name, bestowed by de facto common use rather than by formal bestowal.
*Nickname, which is neither the name formally bestowed on a newborn, nor an affectionate alteration of that, but some other name bestowed by de facto common use. A nickname may be based on the given name, but also on some other attribute of the person, or for some other reason. Note that not all nicknames are first names, rather they replace the entire personal name; but some nicknames are first names.
Thus, a man with the formal personal name of "Robert Allen Smith" may be be usually referred to as "Robert Smith" or "Bob Smith" or "Bunny Smith". In this case "Robert" is a given name, "Bob" is a hypocorism, and "Bunny" is a nickname; but all are first names.

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