Language-specific Names

A language-specific name is your name, as it appears in another language. This way, your friends can see your name in a language they understand.

Here are examples of language-specific names:
  • Hanako Yamada / 山田花子
  • Chen WeiJie / 陳偉傑
  • Young Hee Kim / 김영희
  • Marina Petrova / Марина Петрова
When you add a language-specific name to your timeline, your friends will see your name in the way that's most natural for them. So if they use Facebook in the same language as your language-specific name (example on the right), that's what they'll see. Everyone else will see the name you signed up with (example on the left).

Right now language-specific names are only available in a few countries. We hope to expand to more places in the future.
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Language-specific NamesAlternate Names
Your real, full name, as it appears in a different languageA different version of your name, like your nickname or maiden name
Shown in place of the name you signed up with throughout the site (on your timeline, in search results, posts, comments, and photo tags)Displayed in parenthesis next to your name, but only on your timeline and in search results
Only people using Facebook in that language will see itAnyone who can see your timeline or search results can see it
People can search for you using this namePeople can search for you using this name
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If you're using Facebook in another language, you may have the option to add a language-specific name to your account.

To add or edit your language-specific name:
  1. Open the account dropdown menu at the top right corner of Facebook and choose Account Settings
  2. Click on the Name section
  3. Enter your native name in the language-specific name fields
  4. Click Save Changes
Note:
  • You'll only see the option to add a language-specific name if you have that language listed on your account. You can add a language to your timeline by following these directions.
  • To help make sure that everyone uses their real name, we limit the number of times you can change your name.
  • If your name is changed by a Facebook representative, this change is considered final. This means you will no longer have the option to manually change your name.
  • If you aren't able to change your name, we may be able to help.
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This might be because the name you requested doesn't follow our name standards. If you've read our name policies and think that your name was rejected by mistake, let us know.
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If you entered a language-specific name in addition to your registered name, then your language-specific name will display for people who use Facebook in that language.

Here are examples of language-specific names:
  • Hanako Yamada / 山田花子
  • Chen WeiJie / 陳偉傑
  • Young Hee Kim / 김영희
  • Marina Petrova / Марина Петрова

Your friends will see your name in the way that's most natural for them. So if they use Facebook in the same language as your language-specific name (example on the right), that's what they'll see. Everyone else will see the name you signed up with (example on the left).
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