Christian name

noun

Also called baptismal name. the name given one at baptism, as distinguished from the family name.
a person's first or given name.

Origin of Christian name

First recorded in 1540–50

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for christian name

forename

Examples from the Web for christian name

Historical Examples of christian name

They had been on Christian-name terms since they were children.
Royal Highness
Thomas Mann
They were on Christian-name terms, or had been a few years ago.
The Card, A Story Of Adventure In The Five Towns
Arnold Bennett
What are you waiting for, Mr. Robber, Thief, or whatever your Christian-name may be?
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, No. XXVII, August 1852, Vol. V
Various
My husband wanted to give me a pleasant surprise, for the name of this estate is identical with my Christian-name.
Dame Care
Hermann Sudermann
I was a foundling child, picked up somewhere or another, and I always understood my christian-name to be Gill.
The Perils of Certain English Prisoners
Charles Dickens

British Dictionary definitions for christian name

Christian name

noun

a personal name formally given to Christians at christening

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

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