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Synonyms

maiden name

American  

noun

  1. a woman's surname before her marriage.


maiden name British  

noun

  1. a woman's surname before marriage

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

In 2007, Taylor - who went under her maiden name at the time - registered her business name, Katie Perry, and applied for a trademark.

From BBC • Mar. 11, 2026

Van Rootselaar went mostly by Jesse Strang, the maiden name of her mother, Jennifer Strang.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 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, she kept the title Sarah, Duchess of York - but she reverted to her maiden name of Ferguson after Andrew voluntarily gave up the usage of the Duke of York title.

From BBC • Oct. 30, 2025

Bloom had been in the state five years and was presently married to a young Chicano woman, Linda, maiden name of Romero, whose hometown was in the San Luis Valley of Colorado.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols