first name

¹ American  

noun

1. given name.

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first-name ² American  

[furst-neym, furst-neym] / ˈfɜrstˌneɪm, ˈfɜrstˈneɪm /

adjective

1. of or relating to one's first, or given, name; familiar; intimate.

   They were on a first-name basis soon after meeting.

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verb (used with object)

first-named, first-naming

1. to address (someone) by their first name, especially as a sign of informality or familiarity.

   The boss doesn't like the employees to first-name her.

first name British  

noun

1. Also called: Christian name.   forename.   given name.  a name given to a person at birth, as opposed to a surname

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Etymology

Origin of first name¹

Middle English word dating back to 1200–50

Origin of first-name²

First recorded in 1300–50

Example Sentences

Epstein doesn’t appear to correct Nikolic when he misspells his first name.

From The Wall Street Journal

I think at first she said her name like that because there must have been a year or two when she shared the same first name with someone else in her class.

From Literature

My first name was inspired by “Liza,” the 1929 song with Ira Gershwin’s lyrics.

From The Wall Street Journal

CEOs may wear jeans and go by their first names, but the city’s richest still long for exclusivity.

From The Wall Street Journal

"We sleep in fear and wake up with stress, so the situation is pretty awful," Sanaz, who gave only her first name, told AFP.

From Barron's

Related Words

• given name