née

American  

[ney] / neɪ /

Or nee

adjective

1. formerly known as (used following the person’s current or recognized name to introduce a previous, usually feminine, name).

   Jackie Kennedy Onassis, née Bouvier.

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née British  

/ neɪ /

adjective

1. indicating the maiden name of a married woman

   Mrs Bloggs née Blandish

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Gender

Née has long been used in English, as in French, to pair a woman’s married name with her maiden name. Since women are more likely to change their names in adulthood, the feminine-inflected form of this French word, spelled with a second letter e, is the one most widely used and recognized. While in French a man’s original name would be noted with the masculine form né , some English speakers are only familiar with the form née. It is not uncommon to see this feminine form used for masculine names, or inanimate objects: the Tennessee Titans, née the Houston Oilers. On the other hand, because English has no gender inflection, it is normal for borrowed words to lose gender markings, so the masculine form né is also sometimes seen modifying a woman’s name: Marilyn Monroe, né Norma Jean Mortensen.

Etymology

Origin of née

First recorded in 1750–60; from French née, feminine of né (past participle of naître “to be born”), ultimately derived from Latin nātus; see origin at nascent

Explanation

Use the word nee when you refer to a person's original, birth name. If your neighbor was Mary Jones until she got married to Larry White, you could introduce her to someone else as "Mary White, nee Jones." If a woman marries and adopts her husband's last name, her former name becomes a thing of the past. If your grandmother's maiden name was "Smith," describe her as nee Smith. This works when people change their names for reasons other than marriage as well. Nee comes from the French née, the feminine past participle of naitre, "to be born."

Example Sentences

Former head coach Danny Nee had led the team to the tournament four straight years in the early 1990s—twice as a favored high seed, twice as a toss-up No. 8 or 10.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 22, 2026

John Shen Yen Nee: Which S.J. operated on, surgically removing parts and Frankensteining other things in.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2024

“It’s well understood that there is Chinese pressure in Thailand … so there’s quite a bit of pressure on Chinese activists and asylum seekers in Thailand,” said Nee.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 26, 2023

“Boy did the DGA miss their moment. #WGA #SAGAFTRA,” Chris Nee, the creator of the children’s animated series “Doc McStuffins,” wrote on Twitter on the eve of the actors’ strike.

From New York Times • Jul. 18, 2023

“Get up,” said Ida Nee to the girl in the pink dress.

From "Raymie Nightingale" by Kate DiCamillo