Template:Family name explanation/doc

Footnotes vs. hatnotes
There is no universal consensus on whether to use footnotes or hatnotes for family name explanations. However, never use both. For names that are clear to the average reader, such as Jeremy Lin, use no explanation.

Hatnotes are a high-emphasis method of name explanation, and have been used widely on Wikipedia for many years. Some editors argue that they are well-suited to articles where the name is particularly in need of clarification (such as when the name Foo Bar is one article and Bar Foo is another), or where a footnotes system would have to be introduced for the explanation.

Footnotes are a newer, lower-emphasis method of name explanation introduced in 2020. Some editors argue that they better avoid giving undue prominence to name explanations. Others argue that they fit name explanations better as they do not muddle the navigational purpose of hatnotes. They may be particularly well-suited to articles that already have other hatnotes (where another might induce banner blindness), or where there is a preexisting footnote system (and thus no need to introduce one).

Supported languages
The lang parameter will trigger a link to  name (for example, Arabic name) if the page exists. Exceptions are listed below:

First parameter only
Regardless of language, this template requires a first parameter for the given surname. For instances where the language may not commonly use a family name, the text reflects this.

Second parameter
The second parameter triggers different wording depending on the language.

Third parameter
With the exception of Toponymic, the third parameter is used for transliterated names or a second name type.

TemplateData
{	"params": { "1": {			"label": "Surname or family name", "description": "The primary element in the person's surname", "type": "string", "required": true },		"2": {			"label": "Additional name element", "description": "Secondary element in the person's surname (depending upon language)", "type": "string", "suggested": true },		"3": {			"label": "Additional name element", "description": "Tertiary element in the person's surname or transliteration (depending upon language)", "type": "string", "suggested": true },		"lang": { "label": "Language", "description": "Language or naming convention. Note: Spell out the language name; do not use ISO codes", "type": "string", "suggested": true, "example": "lang=Spanish (not lang=es)", "suggestedvalues": [ "Argentine", "Basque", "Bulgarian", "Burmese", "Cambodian", "Catalan", "Chilean", "Chinese", "Chinese Indonesian", "Congolese", "Dutch", "Eastern Slavic", "Galician", "German", "Hmong", "Ijebu", "Korean", "Lebanese", "Manchu", "Medieval", "Mongolian", "Ni-Vanuatu", "Ottoman Turkish", "Romance", "Slavic", "Spanish", "Toponymic", "Turkic", "Vietnamese", "Hong Kong", "Macau" ]		},		"nd": { "label": "Dutch marital name", "description": "Use only with Dutch surnames where the person's married name is to be specified", "type": "string", "suggested": true },		"type": { "description": "Whether the explanation should be rendered as a footnote, a hatnote, or neither (default).", "type": "string", "suggestedvalues": [ "footnote", "hatnote" ],			"default": "Neither", "label": "Explanation type" },		"reftype": { "label": "Reference group type", "description": "Name of footnote template to use, such as efn, efn-lr, or NoteTag.", "type": "line", "default": "efn", "suggestedvalues": [ "efn", "efn-lr", "efn-ua", "efn-ur", "efn-lg", "NoteTag" ]		}	},	"format": "inline", "description": "Placed at the top of a biographical article to explain to readers which part of a name is the family name." }