---
title: Employee Name, Surname and Forenames
description: "Follow this article on how to specify different combinations of forenames and surnames when an employee has multiple names. There are 2 ways to **enter** (type in) a name: 1. Simple cases can be entered in the normal way e.g.**John…"
url: "https://paiyroll.com/kb/employee-name-surname-and-forenames/"
updated: "2026-07-18"
category: Employees
---

# Employee Name, Surname and Forenames

Follow this article on how to specify different combinations of forenames and surnames when an employee has multiple names.

There are 2 ways to **enter** (type in) a name:

1. Simple cases can be entered in the normal way e.g.**John Smith**or **John Adam Smith**and do not need a comma. These cases treat the last name as the surname.
2. Alternatively, you can type in using**reverse notation with**Surname **comma** forenames e.g. **Smith, John Adam** or to specify multiple surnames.

The table below shows the various examples:

| Forename(s) | Surname | Enter (without comma) | Enter (with a comma) | Display on Employee setup |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| John | Smith | John Smith | Smith, John | Smith, John |
| John Adam | Smith | John Adam Smith | Smith, John Adam | Smith, John Adam |
| This |  | Pele |  | Pele |
| Juan Pablo | Garcia Acosta |  | Garcia Acosta, Juan Pablo | Garcia Acosta, Juan Pablo |