An official website of the United States government
Here’s how you know
Official websites use .gov A
.gov website belongs to an official government
organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A
lock (
) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to
the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official,
secure websites.
You need separate data elements. Follow this pattern when you need to ask for a user’s name as part of your service. Only ask for a name if you need it.
When to consider something else
You don’t need separate data elements. If you don’t need to parse out the separate pieces of a person’s name, consider letting them enter it into a single text field.
Usability guidance
Label each field. Be sure each field is properly labeled.
Avoid select elements. Leave the title and suffix fields as text boxes instead of offering select menus. There are many possible titles and suffixes; text boxes accommodate them all.
Don’t restrict characters. Do not restrict the types of characters users can enter in any of these fields. Names can include characters outside the standard Roman alphabet.