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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

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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.

See Examples For:

Her maiden name was Proudlove and she had a brother who was adopted before she was born.

From BBC Jul. 23, 2026

My mother and I changed our last name from Witz to Klein, her maiden name.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 23, 2026

Scott, whose maiden name was Kendra Baumgartner, had two sons with her first husband John Scott, to whom she was married from 2000 to 2006.

From Los Angeles Times May 27, 2026

One told me she has started using her maiden name professionally because her married name was used in a scam.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 16, 2026

I’ll go back to my maiden name, sever ties with Tom, make it hard for anyone to find me.

From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins

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