On a U.S. passport, your first name and last name on the passport appear in two separate fields on the biographical data page: your last name is printed under “Surname,” and your first name plus any middle names are printed together under “Given Names.” If your full legal name is Susie Margaret Smith-Jones, the surname field reads SMITH-JONES and the given names field reads SUSIE MARGARET.1Study in the States. Name Standards
That split matters because airline systems, foreign border control, and TSA all compare names field by field. A booking or ID that doesn’t line up with what the passport prints can stop you at the gate.
The Two Name Fields
Everything you’d call your “last name” — family name, surname, whatever your documents call it — goes in the Surname field. Everything else you’d call part of your name — first name, middle name, additional middle names — goes in the Given Names field, printed together on one line with spaces between them.1Study in the States. Name Standards
There is no separate “middle name” box on the passport. If you have three middle names, all three sit inside the given names field with your first name.
Special Name Situations
Hyphenated Names
A hyphenated surname like Garcia-Lopez is printed with the hyphen intact in the surname field. Hyphenated first names work the same way in the given names field.1Study in the States. Name Standards
Suffixes: Jr., Sr., II, III
Generational suffixes are optional on a U.S. passport. You can add or drop Jr., Sr., II, or III when you apply based on your own preference, regardless of what appears on your birth certificate. If you include the suffix on your application, it prints as part of your name. Two rules to know: Arabic ordinals (2nd, 3rd) are converted to Roman numerals (II, III), and “Sr.” is not included if it’s actually the Spanish “Señor” rather than a generational suffix.2Foreign Affairs Manual. 8 FAM 403.1 Name Usage and Name Changes
One Legal Name Only
People with a single legal name, which is common in parts of Indonesia and South Asia, have that name placed in the surname field, and the given names field is left blank. The same rule applies if your documents show only a first and middle name with no last name: those go into the surname field.2Foreign Affairs Manual. 8 FAM 403.1 Name Usage and Name Changes
Names in Non-Latin Scripts
Names originally written in Cyrillic, Arabic, Chinese, or any other non-Latin script are transliterated into Roman characters on a U.S. passport. The spelling is taken from your citizenship evidence, government-issued ID, or U.S. visa rather than from your personal preference.2Foreign Affairs Manual. 8 FAM 403.1 Name Usage and Name Changes
Very Long Names
The data page has roughly 40 characters available for your combined first, middle, and last names.2Foreign Affairs Manual. 8 FAM 403.1 Name Usage and Name Changes Names that exceed the limit get truncated. If yours is one of them, keep your citizenship documents accessible when crossing borders, because international systems that compare names character by character can flag the shortened version.
Making Airline Bookings Match Your Passport
TSA’s Secure Flight program requires the name on your airline reservation to match the name on the government-issued ID you present at the checkpoint. For international travel, that ID is the passport.3Transportation Security Administration. Does the Name on My Airline Reservation Have to Match the Name on My Application?
Book with your name exactly as the passport prints it. If your passport reads ELIZABETH ANN JOHNSON and you book as LIZ JOHNSON, you could have a problem. Nicknames stored in frequent flyer profiles are a common source of mismatches, so check your profile before booking.
Middle names cause most of the trouble. If your passport includes a middle name, and especially if your TSA PreCheck record includes it, your booking needs it too. Some airline sites have a middle name field and some don’t. When there’s no dedicated field, travelers commonly put the middle name into the first name box (ELIZABETH ANN in the first name field), and it works.
Entering Your Name on the Application
First-time applicants file Form DS-11 in person at an acceptance facility like a post office or county clerk. Eligible renewals use Form DS-82 by mail.4U.S. Department of State. Passport Forms Enter your full legal name exactly as it appears on your primary citizenship evidence, usually a birth certificate or previous passport. Last name goes in the surname field on the form; first and middle names go in the given names field.
If you go by a name that differs from your birth certificate and you don’t have a court order, marriage certificate, or divorce decree to explain the change, you may need Form DS-60, an affidavit regarding the name change. Two people who have known you by both names complete the form, and you also provide three certified or original public records showing you’ve used the new name for at least five years.5Department of State. Name Change for U.S. Passport or Correct a Printing or Data Error
The 2026 fee for a first-time adult passport book on DS-11 is $130 plus a $35 execution fee. An adult renewal on DS-82 is $130 with no execution fee.
Fixing a Wrong Name or Changing It Later
Marriage, Divorce, or Court-Ordered Name Change
If both your current passport and the legal name change happened within the last year, use Form DS-5504 to get an updated passport by mail. Submit your current passport, a certified copy of the document proving the change (marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court order), and one passport photo.5Department of State. Name Change for U.S. Passport or Correct a Printing or Data Error
If more than a year has passed since either the passport was issued or the name was legally changed, you use Form DS-82 if you qualify for mail-in renewal, or Form DS-11 if you need to apply in person, and you pay the standard fees.5Department of State. Name Change for U.S. Passport or Correct a Printing or Data Error
Printing or Data Errors
If the State Department misspelled your name or printed the wrong data, you correct it at no charge using Form DS-5504 while the passport is still valid. Submit evidence of the correct information, such as a birth certificate showing the right spelling. Timing affects the replacement’s validity: report the error within one year of issuance and you get a full new 10-year passport; report it after a year and the replacement is only good through the original expiration date.5Department of State. Name Change for U.S. Passport or Correct a Printing or Data Error DS-5504 corrections of State Department errors are free.6U.S. Department of State. Passport Fees
Children Under 16
Name changes on a child’s passport follow a different track. Children under 16 always apply in person on Form DS-11, and both parents or legal guardians must appear with the child. If one parent can’t attend, the absent parent signs Form DS-3053 (Statement of Consent) before a notary and provides a photocopy of their ID, and the notarized form must be submitted within three months of signing. A parent with sole legal custody can skip the consent step with a court order granting sole custody, a birth certificate listing only one parent, or a certified death certificate of the other parent.7Travel.State.Gov. Apply for a Child’s Passport Under 16 If the applying parent’s current name doesn’t match the child’s birth certificate or adoption decree, that parent brings proof of their own legal name change to establish the relationship.