Why names are important

• We want all students and staff to feel they are equally valued members of the University community.
• Repeatedly mispronouncing, misspelling or changing someone's name can have a lasting emotional and professional impact.
• To be inclusive, everyone can make the effort to learn how to pronounce and spell their peers' and colleagues' names correctly. Getting someone's name right shows respect for their identity, culture and heritage.

Advice for getting names right

• Introduce yourself, and give others the chance to introduce themselves.
• Don't give someone a nickname or say their name differently because you find it hard to pronounce. 
• If you are unsure of how to say someone's name, ask them to pronounce it, and actively listen and practise how to say it.
• If you are a more visual learner, you could ask the person to show you their name in a written format while they are pronouncing it.
• Don't worry about getting it wrong. Be open to being corrected, and encourage people to correct you if you get it wrong. If you make a mistake, apologise and try to get it right in future.
• When emailing or messaging someone, check how they spell their own name, and make sure you use the same spelling – including any accents on the letters. You could copy and paste it from their signature if you are unsure.
• Be an ally and, if appropriate, gently correct someone if they get a name wrong.
• Share this guidance with your peers and colleagues.

Names in different countries

• Be aware of different naming customs from around the world.
• When asking someone their full name, for instance on a form or at an appointment, you should typically ask for their ‘first name’ and ‘last name’.
  • In some countries, ‘given name’ or ‘forename’ may be more familiar than ‘first name’. ‘Family name’ or ‘surname’ may be preferred to ‘last name’. It can be helpful to give these alternative terms too.
  • Avoid using the term ‘Christian name’ for ‘first name’.
  • Some cultures write their family name (last name / surname) before their given name (first name / forename) – for example, in China and some other East Asian countries. For instance, traditionally for a Chinese name such as Wang Xiaoming, ‘Wang’ is the family name and ‘Xiaoming’ is the given name.
  • Some cultures may use two (or more) surnames (last names / family names) –including Spain, Portugal, and some other Spanish-speaking and Portuguese-speaking countries.
  • In some forms or surveys you may also need to ask for a ‘middle name’, but many people will not have one. It can be useful to explain the term and clarify that it is not required.
• Some people use a different name to their first name / given name / forename. This may include a nickname or a chosen ‘English name’, but do not make any assumptions unless they have introduced themselves in this way.

Record or spell your name

Here are some ideas for how you could record or show the pronunciation of your name to help others say it correctly. 

1. Create an audio recording by recording yourself saying your name, using a smartphone or other device. 
2. Create a phonetic spelling of your name.
   • To do this, split your name into syllables, separated by dashes. You could capitalise or write in bold the syllables that should be emphasised. Ask a few people to read your phonetic spelling and adjust it if needed.
   • You could use an online resource to help you. Race Equality Matters has created the What is your name? tool and a phonetic spelling guide. They have also provided some examples of phonetic spellings of names.
3. You could use software such as the free version of Namecoach to create a name badge.

Share your name

Here are some places where you could display your name to share with others. If you try any of these, encourage your peers or colleagues to do the same.

1. Add it to your University of Bristol email signature:
   • You could add your phonetic spelling in brackets after your name.
   • You could add an audio recording after your name, by adding some descriptive text like 'Say my name', highlighting this text, and inserting a link to an audio recording file.
2. Add it to your profile on social media and other channels.
3. Use name badges at events and include a space to add phonetic spelling.

Further resources

• Read about the Race Equality Matters campaign #MyNameIs.
• Pronouns are another important aspect of a person's identity. Find more information about using pronouns from the inclusive writing guidance on sex and gender.
• Find more information about writing names and titles in the University's house style guide.
• The inclusive writing guidance on ethnicity and race and nationality may also be useful.