Editing Surname (section)

==Compound surnames==
{{unsourced section|date=August 2023}}
While in many countries surnames are usually one word, in others a surname may contain two words or more, as described below.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

=== English ===
{{Further|Double-barrelled name#British tradition}}
Compound surnames in English and several other European cultures feature two (or occasionally more) words, often joined by a [[hyphen]] or hyphens. However, it is not unusual for compound surnames to be composed of separate words not linked by a hyphen, for example [[Iain Duncan Smith]], a former leader of the [[Conservative Party (UK)|British Conservative Party]], whose surname is "Duncan Smith".{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

=== Chinese ===
{{main|Chinese compound surname}}
Some [[Chinese surname]]s use more than one [[Chinese character|character]] though this is very rare.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Learn |first=Sayari |date=2020-07-23 |title=Understanding Naming Conventions in China to Enhance Investigations |url=https://learn.sayari.com/understanding-naming-conventions-in-china-to-enhance-investigations/#:~:text=Surnames%20are%20almost%20always%20a,but%20these%20are%20very%20rare. |access-date=2025-03-21 |website=Sayari Learn |language=en-US}}</ref>