given name

etunimi puhekieltä A first name, a name chosen for a child, usually by the child's parents; a forename.
2004, Gwyneth Olofsson, When in Rome or Rio or Riyadh...: Cultural Q&As for Successful Business Behavior Around the World, http://books.google.com.au/books?id=OtpxnAj1TYwC&pg=PA17&dq=%22given+name %22given+names%22+-intitle:%22%22+-inauthor:%22%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=zaRdT9jYH8v3mAX2q9GlDw&redir_esc=yv=onepage&q=%22given%20name|%22given%20names%22%20-intitle%3A%22%22%20-inauthor%3A%22%22&f=false page 17,

Japan: Use family names first, followed by given names, but be aware that some may introduce themselves to Westerners with their given name first.

This may explain why some Chinese Americans write their Chinese name backwards. For example, the Chinese characters to Ching Tien Chay′s name show that his given name is really Tien Ching.

In one experiment, the researchers had people rate the characteristics of people with various given names or nicknames.(..)A person with a nickname like Liz, for example, would probably be rated as friendlier and more popular than a person with the given name Elizabeth, but Elizabeth would probably be rated more intelligent and trustworthy.