Christian name
Americannoun
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Also called baptismal name. the name given one at baptism, as distinguished from the family name.
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a person's first or given name.
noun
Usage
This word was often loosely used to mean any person's first name as distinct from his or her surname. Nowadays, especially in official documents, alternatives which do not refer to a particular faith, and are therefore more inclusive, are often used: first name , forename and given name
Etymology
Origin of Christian name
First recorded in 1540–50
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.
For Indigenous people, she became Malintzin, a phonetic rendition of her Christian name.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 25, 2026
Gulpilil’s Christian name was foisted upon him at school.
From Fox News • Nov. 29, 2021
When she looked at you and addressed you by your Christian name, she made it sound like a promise, one that stood on the side of everything that was juicy, smart, black, amused, yours.
From The New Yorker • Aug. 8, 2019
She calls him by the Christian name he was given at birth, William.
From Washington Post • Jul. 7, 2018
“You are, and will remain, as you have been designated. Your Christian name is of no interest to me. Now kindly sit down, Nurse Tallis.”
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
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.
