# PROBLEM !! Given Name vs Surname (or Last Name) : Passport Applications in India :(



## kool (Sep 8, 2014)

Hi,

I am applying for Indian Passport, and while filling up form i stucked to name and surname field. 
My given name is "KUMAR GAURAV" on school/college certificate. And my dad name is "RAJESH KUMAR GUPTA". 

Now in PASSPORT there is name field like this: [GIVEN NAME] and [SURNAME]

I have entered "KUMAR GAURAV" as given name, and surname BLANK.

now tell me which one applicable in my case ? :

 GIVEN NAME--- KUMAR GAURAV
 SURNAME---- BLANK

GIVEN NAME---- KUMAR
SURANME---- GAURAV

GIVEN NAME ---- KUMAR GAURAV
SURNAME----- GUPTA  

(my dad's title is GUPTA, but mine not)

Kindly help me. 



Similar problem is discussed here: Surname Problems: Passport vs Certificates, Marksheets and Documents


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## ithehappy (Sep 8, 2014)

Gaurav? That can't be a surname! Gupta IS your surname!
PS: What do you mean by your title is different than your father's?


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## kool (Sep 8, 2014)

ithehappy said:


> Gaurav? That can't be a surname! Gupta IS your surname!
> PS: What do you mean by your title is different than your father's?



My given name is KUMAR GAURAV only !! I have never used "GUPTA" in any certificates. 

If i will write "KUMAR GAURAV GUPTA" in passport, how i will give prove my name as its different from school certificates (KUMAR GAURAV in school certificates).


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## krishnandu.sarkar (Sep 8, 2014)

Ok. Hope your Voter ID Card, PAN Card, Aadhar Card everything have "Kumar Gaurav". 

Then use either one of these.

1. Given Name - Kumar, Surname - Gaurav. [Yeah it looks odd, but nothing can be done. As all your document have same thing]
2. [You can twist it a bit as] Given Name - Gaurav, Surname - Kumar.

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ithehappy said:


> PS: What do you mean by your title is different than your father's?



Yeah, that's possible. First time when I came across a situation I was stunned too  

I mean I'm not sure in which states it's applicable, but many of my friends from Bihar has same thing. Some friends of mine who are from Bihar, doesn't use their father's surname, instead they use something suitable according to their given name.

Like Dhirendra Suman [Suman is his surname], Aniket Ranjan [Ranjan is surname], Shalini Priya [Priya is surname], Ashish Kumar [Kumar is surname, his family surname is different]. So you see, it's nothing according to the family surname, but when I asked them, they just said, on 10th board exam registration certificate, they wrote this thing as he/she liked the surname and / or surname was maching good with the name.

I'm not sure, as in Bengal, we have to produce birth certificate, so we can't write anything we like even in 10th Board Exam Registration. But may be it's different in Bihar and some other states. They do not need to produce any birth certificate. Whatever they writes at 10th registration, it continues the same in 12th, ration card, voter id card, pan card etc. throughout the life.


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## aniket.cain (Sep 9, 2014)

^ All over India, there are different conventions which I find hard to understand. For example, I think in south people just take their father's name, and there is no surname as such. I might be wrong though.

As for me, I have no surname in any of my identification documents - only the first name as 'Aniket'. I am struggling to get everything corrected now.

OP, the way you have filled it up, the surname will be blank in your passport, which I advise against. You can always get an affidavit made from court stating whatever changes/variations you want in your name.


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## kaz (Sep 9, 2014)

Fill whatever, when you go for document verification you can change every bit 

On topic, I would prefer
GIVEN NAME--- GAURAV
SURNAME---- KUMAR

In passport Surname is written on top and Given Name below it, so it would read Kumar Gaurav only 
You can't use Gupta because you need to show that in other documents also


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## krishnandu.sarkar (Sep 9, 2014)

aniket.cain said:


> ^ All over India, there are different conventions which I find hard to understand. For example, I think in south people just take their father's name, and there is no surname as such. I might be wrong though.
> 
> As for me, I have no surname in any of my identification documents - only the first name as 'Aniket'. I am struggling to get everything corrected now.
> 
> OP, the way you have filled it up, the surname will be blank in your passport, which I advise against. You can always get an affidavit made from court stating whatever changes/variations you want in your name.



Yeah, you are right. Father's first name is son's surname along with village and forefather's name as middle name.


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## ashs1 (Sep 9, 2014)

aniket.cain said:


> ^ All over India, there are different conventions which I find hard to understand. For example, I think in south people just take their father's name, and there is no surname as such. I might be wrong though.
> 
> As for me, I have no surname in any of my identification documents - only the first name as 'Aniket'. I am struggling to get everything corrected now.
> 
> OP, the way you have filled it up, the surname will be blank in your passport, which I advise against. You can always get an affidavit made from court stating whatever changes/variations you want in your name.



In South, Most People take up their Father's Name's first Letter and use it as Initial. ( E.g : P.Chidambaram[ His father's name is Mr. Palaniappan ])
I, too use, this initial method & have faced a ton of problem while filling up various forms. People, here in nagpur, react as if its not possible to not have a surname.


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## ithehappy (Sep 10, 2014)

Your surname is "Gupta". Surname means your family's title, and it's Gupta, not Kumar or Gaurav. Now if you wanna affidavit and use that properly or use something as per your choice is entirely up to you.


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## kool (Sep 10, 2014)

ithehappy said:


> Your surname is "Gupta". Surname means your family's title, and it's Gupta, not Kumar or Gaurav. Now if you wanna affidavit and use that properly or use something as per your choice is entirely up to you.




What if i make an affidavit of new name KUMAR GAURAV GUPTA for passport ?  What gonna  happen to my old name "KUMAR GAURAV" which is printed on driving license, pan, aadhar, school/college certificate, bank accounts ?


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## tkin (Sep 10, 2014)

kool said:


> What if i make an affidavit of new name KUMAR GAURAV GUPTA for passport ?  What gonna  happen to my old name "KUMAR GAURAV" which is printed on driving license, pan, aadhar, school/college certificate, bank accounts ?


Don't do this, major issues will be caused, make sure all your official documents, i.e passport, aadhar, driving license etc show the exact same name. Go for Surname: Kumar, Given Name: Gaurav. During document verification everything will match up.

Out of curiosity what does your birth certificate say?


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## sumit05 (Sep 11, 2014)

So your name should be GAURAV KUMAR GUPTA.


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## kool (Sep 12, 2014)

tkin said:


> Don't do this, major issues will be caused, make sure all your official documents, i.e passport, aadhar, driving license etc show the exact same name. Go for Surname: Kumar, Given Name: Gaurav. During document verification everything will match up.
> 
> Out of curiosity what does your birth certificate say?



I dont have birth certificate ! 

can i write KUMAR as surname ??  

But my 1st name is KUMAR in all certificates.


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## SaiyanGoku (Sep 12, 2014)

just write 1st name as Kumar Gaurav and leave the surname blank

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*en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mononymous_person


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## ithehappy (Sep 13, 2014)

I don't think he can leave surname empty.


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## Vyom (Oct 5, 2016)

Thread closed since it was being targeted by spammer.
If this thread needs to be reopened, PM me or one of the mods.

Thanks guys for reporting.


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