What is your name?

As anyone who knows me, I love to explore especially when it comes to meeting new people in new cultures and new places.

I have been blessed to a group of people through a Channel of Khawaja Saud Masud . Saud facilitates and allows an ever increasing flow of energy through an inspirational community Hopeistan.

The conversations are provocative and inspirational and because many of the active participants are from Pakistan, it is giving me an opportunity to learn more about their culture which I am becoming affectionate towards as I get to know this group in particular.

When we meet people, one of the first things that we often do is exchange a way with which we can refer to each other, most often a 'name'.

And depending on the circumstances being formal or informal the way in which we do that differs.

Growing up in Ireland we have a personal name and a family name. We do have things like second and third names, religious names ( as we select those for confirmation) and in some cases a double barrelled family name. Having some Spanish friends, the common practise if use the father's and mother's family names.

So I got curious about the name of my Pakistani friends and asked the question. Here are my new discoveries thanks to Shahrukh Malik & Khawaja Saud Masud !

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Question 1:

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Saud Masud & Shahrukh Malik, I have a curiosity from my ignorance.

I do not understand how Pakistani names are formed, let me use your names as examples.

We have many versions in Europe too from English Versions to Spanish versions and the combinations mean different things from multiple family names and multiple personal names.

When I read your names

Khawaja Saud Masud, and Shahrukh Malik, I ask myself ...

• Question 1: Which are family names?
• Question 2: Which are personal names?
• Question 3: Which are religious names? e.g. Mohammed PBUH, and maybe there are others.
• Question 4: Why is it that you use the middle name 'Saud' commonly?
• Question 5: Can you relieve me of a small amount of my ignorance?

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Answer 1: from Shahrukh Malik

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In general, we have:

First / given name: Saud or Shahrukh

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Last / family name: Masud or Malik

Now, the last name can be:

Father’s name: Shahrukh Aslam

Or the cast: Shahrukh Malik

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We don’t officially get middle names.

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For Hina, for example, her name before marriage was Hina Mehrban (her father’s name) instead of Hina Malik.

It’s also possible to have both:

Shahrukh Aslam Malik

Or have the cast before the name:

Malik Shahrukh Aslam

Or just the cast and given name:

Malik Shahrukh

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So it goes like this:

(Cast) Given [Father/Family] (Cast)

() = optional

[] = one of the options

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Thank you to Shahrukh Malik for this very thorough explanation which I wouldn't have guessed in a million years.

At least now I might ask slightly better questions like:

1. What is your Given Name?
2. What is your Family Name?
3. What is your Cast Name?
4. Do you have any unofficial Middle Names?

and maybe

5. Do you have a nickname that is none of the above?

Thank you!