given name

American  

[giv-uhn neym] / ˈgɪv ən ˈneɪm /

noun

given names plural

1. the name given to a person, as distinguished from an inherited family name; first name; Christian name.

   His given name is John.

---

given name British  

noun

1. another term for first name

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• given names
  plural

Etymology

Origin of given name

An Americanism first recorded in 1820–30

Compare meaning

How does given-name compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• surname vs. given name
• given name vs. family name

Example Sentences

His father, a former high jumper, chose his son’s given name of Sorato, which is written with characters that mean “sky” and “jump.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Aug. 2, 2025

Instead of working under my given name, Adel, I went by Eddie, then Edvardo, and finally Vardo Bissiccio, leaving my Arabic name out of my career.

From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2025

He will then introduce the new Pope by his chosen papal name, which may or may not be his original given name.

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2025

As the son of two Ethiopian immigrants who migrated to Canada, Tesfaye is ready to reclaim his given name and identity — struggles that many diaspora people like myself know all too well.

From Salon • Feb. 22, 2025

Table 4.1: The examples given name the note reached if one starts on C, and goes up the named interval.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones