Semantic Data Types

Meaning instead of just String and Number.

Concept

Primitive vs. semantic

Conventional databases use primitive types — String, Number, Date, Boolean. These tell the system how to store the value, but nothing about what it represents.

The NameAPI Index is built on semantic types — concept-based categories such as Surname, Date of Birth, Gender, IBAN. Each describes the meaning of the data, which lets us index, search, match and validate it correctly — far beyond byte comparison.

Primitive types

Generic categories that lack contextual meaning about the data itself.

  • String
  • Integer
  • Date
  • Boolean

Semantic types

Concept-based categories that describe what the information represents.

  • Surname, GivenName, MiddleName
  • Date of Birth
  • Gender
  • IBAN, VAT number, Tax ID
  • Place name, Postal code, Country code
Composition

Fields and entities

Data fields can exist independently, be components of larger entities, or form complete entities themselves.

Name entity

  • Salutation
  • Title
  • Given name
  • Middle name(s)
  • Surname
  • Suffix

Address entity

  • Street name
  • House number
  • Postal code
  • Place name
  • State / county
  • Country code
Where it's used

The thread running through the platform

Parser

Each parser turns strings into the right semantic types.

Matcher

Type-specific matching logic compares each semantic type with dedicated rules.

Search Cluster

Semantic types drive indexing strategy, search recall and result scoring.

Get in touch

Mapping your data to semantic types

We're happy to walk you through how your existing fields map to our semantic model, and what that unlocks.

Schedule a 30-min callSearch Cluster