Learn English – Why do many forms ask for initials instead of full names

business-languagenames

I have seen a lot of forms that ask for the name (first name, middle name, last name) and then initials.

Why does anyone want to ask for initials? Isn't initials the first letters of the name?

For example, name = john doe => initials = J D. Isn't this always true?

Best Answer

I'm not 100% certain what you're asking, but I can think of a few possibilities.

  • As Kosmonaut commented, on most forms, an initials field is asking for a middle initial. If the form designer was sane, the field will appear between the first and last name fields, but you never know.
  • The field could be asking for degrees and other initialisms that people put after their names – "John Henry Doe, OD, FAAO", "Lucy Smith, CBE", etc. If the field appears after the first & last names, and especially if there's a separate field already for a middle name or initial, then this would be the most logical explanation.
  • As a remote possibility, the field could be asking for a title - Mr., Mrs., Ms., etc. Like the middle initial field, though, it would be bad design to have this after the name fields.
  • If it's a long form, there could be places where you need to "initial" (give a quick sign-off for) some important clauses. I haven't encountered this with computerized forms, but it's standard practice with long contracts such as for buying a house.
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