・English names are “first name + last name” (like John Smith) because English culture values individualism
・Japanese names are “last name + first name” (like 田中太郎) because Japanese culture values group thinking
I believed this explanation for many years. But now I think it is wrong. I have two reasons why.
Reason 1: Language Rules (Not Culture)
Japanese and English have different grammar rules.
In Japanese, the describing word usually comes before the main word:
・二時に → 来い (at two o’clock → come)
・幸せそうに → 微笑んでいる → 女の → 子 (happily → smiling → girl)
In English, the describing word usually comes after the main word:
・Come ← at two o’clock
・A girl ← smiling ← happily
Sometimes English puts describing words before (like “a girl”), but this is not the usual way.
I think name order follows the same grammar rule:
・English: Jiro ← Imamura (first name ← family name)
・Japanese: 今村 → 二朗 (family name → first name)
This is just grammar, not culture.
Reason 2: History Shows the Wrong Order
The timeline doesn’t match.
・English people started using “first name + last name” order around 1400-1500 (14th-15th century)
・But “individualism”, as an idea, was established much later, around 1600-1700 (17th-18th century)
How can something that happened in 1400 be caused by something that was established in 1600? This doesn’t make sense.
The real reason for the name order was simple: when more people got family names, each language followed its own grammar rules.
My Conclusion
I think the different name orders in English and Japanese come from language rules, not cultural values.
Of course, once these name orders became normal, they might have helped shape how people think. English name order might support individual thinking a little. Japanese name order might support group thinking a little. But this is a small effect, not the main cause.
A Warning against over-explaining
We often try to find deep cultural reasons for simple things. Sometimes there are no deep reasons – just grammar rules or historical accidents.
Before we say “this happens because of culture,” we should check if there are simpler explanations first.
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