givenName

givenName · Not mentioned by Google

Appears in

Person

What is it?

givenName stores a person's first name (or given name, in cultures where it comes first). It works as a pair with familyName and provides an alternative to the single name property when structured name components are needed. Schema.org notes that "given name" refers to the first name in U.S. naming conventions, acknowledging that this varies by culture.

Why this matters for AEO

When a user asks "Who is [First Name] at [Company]?", AI answer engines use givenName to match partial name queries. Structured name components help AI systems disambiguate people who share a family name within the same organization. A query like "What does Pavel do at Karpi Studio?" can match on givenName: "Pavel" even when the full name property is not an exact match for the query.

What the specs say

Schema.org: Expects Text. "Given name. In the U.S., the first name of a Person." Can be used alongside familyName instead of the name property. Source

Google: Not listed in Google's ProfilePage structured data documentation. Google's Person markup guidance focuses on the combined name property. Source

How to find your value

• Team page — First name as displayed
• LinkedIn profile — First name field
• Author byline — Given name portion
• HR records — Legal given name

Format and code

With familyName pair:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Person",
  "givenName": "Denver",
  "familyName": "Prophit",
  "honorificPrefix": "Mr.",
  "honorificSuffix": "Jr."
}

Alongside the combined name property (recommended pattern):

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Person",
  "name": "Denver Prophit Jr.",
  "givenName": "Denver",
  "familyName": "Prophit"
}

Always include the combined name property alongside givenName and familyName. Google and most consumers expect name as the primary identifier. The component fields provide additional structure for disambiguation.

Webflow implementation

Static pages

Add givenName in Page Settings > Custom Code (before </head>):

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Person",
  "name": "Pavel Kurecka",
  "givenName": "Pavel",
  "familyName": "Kurecka"
}
</script>

CMS template pages

For team member pages with separate "First Name" and "Last Name" fields:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Person",
  "name": "{{wf {"path":"name","type":"PlainText"} }}",
  "givenName": "{{wf {"path":"first-name","type":"PlainText"} }}",
  "familyName": "{{wf {"path":"last-name","type":"PlainText"} }}"
}
</script>

In Schema HQ

GivenName field and familyName automatically when generating Person schema, splitting the full name into components for the published JSON-LD.

Real examples

Denver Prophit on denverprophit.us:

{
  "@context": "http://schema.org/",
  "@type": "Person",
  "givenName": "Denver",
  "familyName": "Prophit",
  "honorificPrefix": "Mr.",
  "honorificSuffix": "Jr.",
  "birthDate": "1968-05-25"
}

Related fields

• familyName — last name, paired with givenName
• name — combined full name (always include alongside givenName)
• additionalName — middle name or other name components
• honorificPrefix — title like Mr., Dr., Prof.
• birthDate — date of birth for the person

FAQ

Should I use givenName or just name?

Use both. The name property is the primary identifier that Google and most consumers expect. Add givenName and familyName as supplementary structured data for disambiguation. Never use givenName and familyName without also including name.

How should I handle non-Western naming conventions?

Schema.org acknowledges that "given name" maps to "first name" in U.S. conventions but varies by culture. For East Asian names where the family name comes first, still use givenName for the personal name and familyName for the surname, regardless of display order. The name property handles the culturally appropriate display order.