姓名
せいめい · seimei · JLPT N3 · noun
name
🪪 姓名 = surname 姓 + given name 名: both halves make your full name
姓 (sei) is the family name and 名 (mei) the given name. Put them in that order and you have the whole name, which is why forms in Japan ask for 姓名. Note 姓 has 女 (woman) on the left, a trace of clan names passed down through the mother's line.
姓 — woman radical 女 + life 生
姓 combines 女 (woman) with 生 (birth/life), reflecting ancient China's matrilineal clans where surnames passed through the mother's line. Many of the oldest Chinese surnames contain 女, such as 姜 and 姚. Today 姓 simply means 'family name' or 'surname'.
名 — evening 夕 + mouth 口
A compound ideograph: in the dark of evening (夕), one cannot recognize others by sight, so the mouth (口) calls out a name to identify oneself. The original sense of 'name' broadened to include reputation, fame, and a measure word for people.