Dutch term
Voorletters en achternaam
For example, my name is Michael Joseph Wdowiak Beijer, so my "Initials and surname" would actually be:
M.J.W.B. + Beijer
However, I assume when reading "Voorletters en achternaam" on a Dutch form, that they want me to enter:
M.J.W. + Beijer
~
some internet context similar to mine: https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web...
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Discussion
"Vul minimaal onderstaande gegevens in:
• Voornaam
• Initialen
• Achternaam
• Geboortedatum
• Taal
• Gender
• Telefoonnummer
• E-mailadres
• Nationaliteit"
I'd make this:
"Please fill in at least the information below:
• First name
• Middle initials
• Last name
• Date of birth
• Language
• Gender
• Phone number
• Email address
• Nationality"
You'd probably have to go by context - sometimes, an example is given on the form that will tell you which letters should be initialised, in which case you could probably say 'Initials and last name'. if the context isn't clear, you could use Lianne's option or provide an example yourself.
Anyway, I asked this question, certainly not because I am bored with my life, but because it is just something that annoys me. It's something I comes across quite often, in various contexts and forms, as Dutch people often have way too many middle names, compared to say Brits or Americans.
For example, Dutch companies often have a field on their forms, between the first name and last name field, which they refer to as "initials", which can confuse English speakers, as "initials" usually means all of the first letters, not just the middle name initials.
see e..: https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/15122/why-do-man...
Voorletters en achternaam =
First initial and any middle initials + surname