Use the spelling that appears on your government‑issued identification, preserving any apostrophes, hyphens, particles and diacritics exactly as shown.
Follow the official document
Legal and administrative systems rely on a single, authoritative spelling. Your passport, driver’s licence or national ID defines that spelling, so copy it verbatim for all other forms.
Capitalization and particles
Most languages capitalize the first letter of the surname, but some treat particles differently. In Spanish, both parts of a double surname are capitalized (e.g., García Márquez). Dutch names keep the particle lowercase except at the start of a sentence (van Gogh → Van Gogh). French surnames are often written in all caps on official forms (DOE).
Hyphenated and compound surnames
Hyphens are not decorative; they bind two names into one legal unit. "Smith‑Jones" stays together on every document. In many Hispanic cultures, compound surnames are separate words without a hyphen (María del Carmen). Preserve the spaces and order exactly as they appear.
Special characters and diacritics
Letters such as á, ñ, ü, ç, and others are integral to the name’s spelling and pronunciation. Include them whenever the platform allows. If a system cannot accept them, use the accepted transliteration (Müller → Mueller, García → Garcia) only as a last resort, and keep the original form on all official records.
Legal and official requirements
Different jurisdictions have specific formatting rules. Some require surnames in all caps, others use mixed case. Always check the guidelines of the agency you are dealing with—mis‑matching a hyphen or changing a particle can cause delays or rejections.
Digital and professional consistency
Online profiles, email addresses and domain names often lack support for special characters or spaces. Choose a simplified version for those contexts (e.g., "john.doe" for email) but retain the full, correct spelling on resumes, publications and legal paperwork. Consistency helps colleagues and institutions attribute work correctly.
Common pitfalls to avoid
- Do not assume pronunciation dictates spelling; "MacDonald" and "McDonald" are distinct families.
- Avoid anglicising a name unless you have formally changed it.
- Never drop a hyphen or apostrophe on official forms.
- Check that the order of given name and surname matches cultural conventions, especially for East Asian names.