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Christian name

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

forename

Examples from the Web for christian name

Historical Examples

  • 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.

  • What are you waiting for, Mr. Robber, Thief, or whatever your Christian-name may be?

  • 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.

British Dictionary definitions for christian name

Christian name

noun
  1. a personal name formally given to Christians at christening
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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