In plain English
People often have one part of their full name that identifies their family group rather than them as an individual. That part is their family name, and relatives may share it.
In context
Here, “family name” asks for the part of the applicant’s full name that is their surname and is shared with other members of the same family.
- Situation
- Navigating benefits and public-service applications, evidence requests, and decision status
- What it communicates
- labels a personal-name entry field in the applicant details section.
Meaning limits
The term by itself does not say where this part appears in a full name, because naming order varies.
Examples
“The children share a family name, but each has a different first name.”
“The clerk asked her to write her family name exactly as it appears on her passport.”