maiden name
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of maiden name
First recorded in 1680–90
Compare meaning
How does maiden-name compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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 two married, both adopting the last name MacAskill—Askell’s maternal grandmother’s maiden name.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026
The Journal Officiel shows Amal Clooney was naturalised under her maiden name, Amal Alamuddin.
From BBC • Dec. 30, 2025
“We have many great candidates, one in particular Eleni Tsakopoulos, whom I support,” Pelosi said, referring to Kounalakis by her maiden name.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 2, 2025
Her passport, which the Greek government had granted under the condition that she leave the country immediately, bore her mother’s maiden name, Aristos, instead of Stephanides.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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.
