Is your first and last name required in a signature?

Answer 1

A person's signature is essentially the same as his or her "mark." It is intended to represent a person's acknowledgement.

Technically, there is no requirement for both a first and a last name in a signature. For example, the performance artist "Cher" would not be expected to use a last name when issuing her signature as an autograph because she is known universally by her first name alone. When signing legal documents, however, she most likely would need to "sign" (or "write her signature") using both her first and last names, e.g. Cherilyn LaPiere. Of course, she might have had her name legally changed to "Cher," in which case the courts would accept that as her signature.

Similarly, the writer J.R.R. Tolkien ("The Lord of the Rings") most likely would have used his three initials and his last name as his signature. The "Dallas" character "J.R. Ewing" likewise probably would have had two initials and his last name for his signature. Thus, a first and last name would not be part of either's signature. Benjamin Franklin, American inventor and statesman, often signed "B Franklin," which clearly does not include a first name even though he was known by his first and last names combined-- unlike the model "B. Smith," who is not known by a first name at all.