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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

She is intensely private: almost no information, including her maiden name, is available online.

From The Wall Street Journal May 30, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times Mar. 3, 2026

It’s strange, even after all these months home, to hear Elizabeth being called Miss Leefolt—not Miss Elizabeth or even her maiden name, Miss Fredericks.

From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett

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