ABSTRACT
A surname symbolizes an individual’s association with his or her family and ancestors; it is also crucial to one’s social and cultural identities. In Taiwan, as in other East Asian countries, name order seems to be reversed to Westerners because the family name comes first. This practice, to some extent, reflects the significance of surnames in East Asian culture because one is first identified as a member of his or her family, then as an individual. The Taiwanese laws and social norms concerning children’s surnames embody these family-centered ethics, whose roots can be traced to the Confucian tradition.
