Goody Feed app: https://goodyfeed.com/app.htmlThe Blue Cats' Instagram Page: https://www.instagram.com/singaporethebluecats/Business Enquiries: https://www.thebluecats.com.sg/Many Singaporeans get confused when filling up forms asking for “First Name, Middle Name, and Last Name.” That’s because these formats usually follow a Western naming system, where the first name is a given name, the middle name is optional, and the last name is the family name. For example, in the name James Tiberius Kirk, “James” is the first name, “Tiberius” is the middle name, and “Kirk” is the surname. But this format doesn’t work neatly for many Singaporeans, because naming conventions vary widely across ethnic groups.For Chinese Singaporeans, there’s usually no middle name. A name like “Tan Lan Mao” has “Tan” as the family name and “Lan Mao” as the given name — not “Lan” as a middle name. In Western order, it would be “Lan Mao Tan,” but locally, we say “Tan Lan Mao.” Formally, you'd address this person as “Mr Tan.”Malay names are different: they use a patronymic system. A name like “Muhammad Azman bin Abdullah” has “Muhammad Azman” as the given name and “Abdullah” as the father’s name — which is considered the last name on forms. But you’d still formally address him as “Mr Azman” or “Mr Muhammad Azman,” not “Mr Abdullah.”Indian names are even more varied. Some, like “Tharman Shanmugaratnam,” follow a structure similar to Malay names: “Tharman” is the given name, and “Shanmugaratnam” is the father’s name. So formally, you'd say “Mr Tharman.” But not all Indians follow this. For example, for Pritam Singh, we say “Mr Singh,” not “Mr Pritam.” If you are unsure, just ask politely.For everyone else — Eurasians, Filipinos, or others — the golden rule is: if you’re not sure, just ask. Respect starts with wanting to be respectful.