When creating a table with similar bits or data such as names. Is it preferred to have the column name prefixed with a common value?Consider a table to store user information. Looking at the columns related to the users name they may be structured as follows:titlefirst_namemiddle_namelast_nameWould it not be better to style all columns relating to the users name with 'name' (as shown below) leading to more consistent naming patterns?name_titlename_firstname_middlename_last
'first_name' vs 'name_first' for Grouping Similar SQL Columns
sql;naming standards
The standard is to use first_name, last_name, etc.I mean standard not as formally defined (say in ISO 9000) but informally, a usage I have observed over 30 years in dozens of companies and hundreds of systems, thus an informal standard.  There's nothing to stop you doing things a different way if it makes sense for your situation, however:Developers already expect names to use the last_name, first_name format in current web pages, scripts and database schemas.  When they are that way the developer doesn't need to learn anything new and that makes development easier as they focus on more important code.Other systems mostly use it so interfaces are often easierFirst time readers don't have to pause to examine the code/data to understand the reason for the unusual namingMost SQL applications that I know, from command line to GUI tools, tend to display database table columns in the order they were listed in the create table (and adjusted by any modify table) commands.  Thus the fields are frequently listed together nicely as you would like.