A legitimate child who was to become the family head was granted to use a portion of those names of the powerful clan members, such as from the Yamana clan, the Ouchi clan, the Shogun family, and the Toyotomi clan, and combine it with "元," such as 'O元,' for example, "豊元," (Toyomoto) "豊" from the first name of "山名是豊" (Koretoyo YAMANA), "弘元," (Hiromoto) "弘" from the first name of "大内政弘" (Masahiro OUCHI), "興元," (Okimoto) "興" from the first name of "大内義興" (Yoshioki OUCHI), "隆元," (Takamoto) "隆" from the first name of "大内義隆" (Yoshitaka OUCHI), "輝元" (Terumoto), "輝" from the first name of the 13th Ashikaga Shogun "義輝" (Yoshiteru); and after the second son, naming by employing "元" from the headman's first name and adding another letter to it, such as, younger brother named "元就," (Motonari) borrowing "元" from his older brother's first name "興元" (Okimoto).
当主となる嫡子は山名氏・大内氏・将軍家・豊臣家などの有力者の偏諱を受け、「○元」（山名是豊の偏諱を受けた豊元、大内政弘の偏諱を受けた弘元、大内義興の偏諱を受けた興元、大内義隆の偏諱を受けた隆元、13代足利将軍義輝の偏諱を受けた輝元など）と名乗り、次男以降は（兄となる）当主の偏諱（元）を受けた形で「元○」（兄・興元の偏諱を受けた元就など）と名乗った。