birth name

Sometimes birth·name

[burth neym]

noun

1. the surname inherited by a person at birth, especially a woman’s maiden name.

2. the first or middle name that is given to a person at birth, but which may be changed later according to preference, upon adoption, after gender transition, etc.

Word History and Origins

Origin of birth name¹

First recorded in 1865–70 birth name for def. 1; 1975–80 birth name for def. 2

Example Sentences

Keaton — then going by her birth name of Diane Hall — needed to be loved by everyone.

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Sudan, whose birth name is Brittney Denise Parks, is one of the rare souls who remains real in the spotlight and behind the curtain, disarmingly authentic.

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Cain is half-Japanese on his father’s side, his birth name being Dean Tanaka.

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That kind of tenaciousness seems to be a signature trait for the performer whose birth name is Danupha Khanatheerakul.

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For starters, this was the year he became Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o and shed his birth name, James.

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