maiden name

American  

noun

1. a woman's surname before her marriage.

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maiden name British  

noun

1. a woman's surname before marriage

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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:

• surname vs. maiden name

Example Sentences

Until this month, she kept the title Sarah, Duchess of York - but she reverted to her maiden name of Ferguson after Andrew voluntarily gave up the usage of the Duke of York title.

From BBC

Until this month, Ferguson kept the title Sarah, Duchess of York - but she reverted to her maiden name of Ferguson after Andrew was stripped of his Duke of York title.

From BBC

LB: It's my mum's maiden name, so the English side of the family.

From BBC

Clemantina's parents didn't marry until after she was born, so her mother's maiden name was used on the birth certificate.

From BBC

The author said Winn was her maiden name, and she disliked her first name of Sally and decided to use her family name Raynor as a pen name.

From BBC

Related Words

• family name