A personal name, full name or prosoponym (from Ancient Greek prósōpon – person, and onoma –name) is the set of names by which an individual person is known, and that can be recited as a word-group, with the understanding that, taken together, they all relate to that one individual.

The study of names is called onomastics, a field which touches on linguistics, history, anthropology, psychology, sociology, philology and much more. When people refer to the " meaning of a name", they are most likely referring to the etymology, which is the original literal meaning.

Names help a person establish an identity, and the process of “naming is a crucial aspect of converting ‘anybodies’ into ‘somebodies’.” Names also help tie a new child into a family identity because “the act of naming has the potential to implicate infants in relations…