Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

maiden name

American  

noun

  1. a woman's surname before her marriage.

maiden name British  

noun

  1. a woman's surname before marriage

"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

Etymology

Origin of maiden name

First recorded in 1680–90

Compare meaning

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

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.

The writer’s earlier novels were published under her maiden name, Lizzie Pook.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026

The two married, both adopting the last name MacAskill—Askell’s maternal grandmother’s maiden name.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026

The Journal Officiel shows Amal Clooney was naturalised under her maiden name, Amal Alamuddin.

From BBC • Dec. 30, 2025

Now, she reverts to her maiden name of Ferguson.

From BBC • Oct. 18, 2025

I’d recognized her when she’d visited Miss Sadie’s house, but didn’t realize that her maiden name was Carlson.

From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool

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.