My bank doesn’t know my first name. Neither does the city. Or any business or institution I’ve dealt with. First names are not in apparently. It smacks of a sad attempt at personal privacy, but since they know everything else about us, what’s the difference? You don’t have to know a person’s first name to hack into the bank and steal their money. The name isn’t used for anything. And as such, it’s not strictly necessary either. They use the initials of the first and middle name (if any), plus the last name. So if you have a kid, you can name him I. B. Clever. Or C. O. O. Lio. And if someone asks about the first name, you can tell them it’s none of their business. Then you can give the kid a nickname for informal use.

First place I’ve ever been where no one wants your first name.