NAME
name,n. A word or phrase identifying or designating a person or thing and distinguishing that
person or thing from others.
alias. See ALIAS. assumed name. See ASSUMED NAME. brand name.See TRADENAME. Christian name.See personal name.
corporate name.The registered name under which a corporation conducts legal affairs such as suing, being sued, and paying taxes; the name that a corporation files with a state authority (usu. the secretary of state) as the name under which the corporation will conduct its affairs. • A corporate name usu. includes, and in many states is required to include, the word “corporation,” “incorporated,” or “company,” or an abbreviation of one of those words. Cf. ASSUMED NAME.
[Cases: Corporations 43–50. C.J.S. Corporations §§ 98–105.]
distinctive name.A name, esp. a tradename, that clearly distinguishes one thing from another. • To maintain an action for tradename infringement, the plaintiff must prove, among other things, that it owns a distinctive name. [Cases: Trade Regulation 10. C.J.S. Names §§ 15, 17;
Trade-Marks, Trade-Names, and Unfair Competition §§ 41–42.] fictitious name.1.ASSUMED NAME. 2.ALIAS3.JOHN DOE.
first name.See personal name.
full name.An individual’s personal name, second or middle names or initials (if any), and surname arranged in a customary order. • In Western cultures, the traditional order is usu. personal name, middle names or initials, and surname. In many other cultures, the order is surname first, followed by one or more personal names. [Cases: Names 1.] generic name.See GENERIC NAME.
geographic name.A name that designates a geographic location or area. — Also termed
geographical name.
given name.See personal name.
legal name.A person’s full name as recognized in law. • A legal name is usu. acquired at birth or through a court order. There are no rules governing a legal name’s length or constitution; it may be a single name (e.g., Prince) or include words not generally used in human names (e.g., Moon
Unit). [Cases: Names 1.]
maiden name.A woman’s childhood surname (which may or may not remain her surname for life). • Normally the term is used only in reference to a woman who has married and changed her last name.
nickname. See NICKNAME.
personal name.An individual’s name or names given at birth, as distinguished from a family name. — Also termed given name; (in the Western tradition) first name; (in the Christian tradition) Christian name. Cf. surname.
proprietary name. Trademarks. A nondescriptive name that may be owned and registered as a
trademark.
street name.See STREET NAME.
surname. The family name automatically bestowed at birth, acquired by marriage, or adopted by choice. • Although in many cultures a person’s surname is traditionally the father’s surname, there is nothing to prevent someone from taking the mother’s surname or a combination of the parents’ surnames.
tradename. See TRADENAME.
[Blacks Law 8th]