Learn French: Le prénom et le nom sont importants. - The first name and the last name are important.

It helps to think of the prefix pré- as meaning 'before'. The prénom is the name that comes before your family name! While nom can mean 'name' in general, when filling out forms or introducing your full name, nom specifically means your last name (also called nom de famille).

Since we are learning how to state our names with s'appeler, how do I use nom and prénom with it?

You actually don't! The verb s'appeler means 'to call oneself'. You just say Je m'appelle followed directly by your name (e.g., Je m'appelle Marie). You generally only use the nouns nom and prénom if someone explicitly asks for them, like on a form or by asking Quel est ton prénom ? (What is your first name?).

Why is there an 's' at the end of importants?

Adjectives in French must match the nouns they describe. Because the subject of this sentence is made of two things (Le prénom and le nom), it counts as plural. To make the masculine adjective important plural, we add an s.

Why do we use sont in this sentence?