forename

[fawr-neym, fohr-]

noun

1. a name that precedes the family name or surname; first name.

forename

/ ˈfɔːˌneɪm /

noun

1. a first or Christian name

Word History and Origins

Origin of forename¹

First recorded in 1525–35; fore- + name

Example Sentences

The promoters preferred the heavyweight's middle name, Moses, to his given forename of Enriko.

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A calm, softly spoken, scrupulously polite, seemingly ego-free individual, he refers to every journalist by their forename.

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Instead, he will lead England into this summer’s European Championship — hoping to win an international tournament in a final on home soil — as Harry Kane, forename and surname, like a reverse Pelé.

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“Our Chin state used to be peaceful, but this is a new experience for us,” said one of the resistance fighters, who would be identified only by his tribal forename, Salai, for safety reasons.

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It is quite a common Spanish surname but less so as a forename.

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Related Words

• given name