maiden name
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of maiden name
First recorded in 1680–90
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One told me she has started using her maiden name professionally because her married name was used in a scam.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
The writer’s earlier novels were published under her maiden name, Lizzie Pook.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026
The two married, both adopting the last name MacAskill—Askell’s maternal grandmother’s maiden name.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026
Until this month, Ferguson kept the title Sarah, Duchess of York - but she reverted to her maiden name of Ferguson after Andrew was stripped of his Duke of York title.
From BBC • Oct. 30, 2025
“I don’t know her maiden name, but her first name was Sing. Any of you ever know anybody with a name like that?”
From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.