Distinguished Name (DN)

The Distinguished Name (DN) is the unique identifier of a subject in an X.509 certificate. It is composed of hierarchical attributes: CN (Common Name, holder's name), O (Organisation), OU (Organisational Unit), C (Country, ISO code), etc. — for example CN=John Smith, O=Certyneo, C=GB. The signatory's DN is readable in the signature properties of a PDF validated in Adobe Acrobat Reader.