née

American  

[ney] / neɪ /

Or nee

adjective

1. formerly known as (used following the person’s current or recognized name to introduce a previous, usually feminine, name).

   Jackie Kennedy Onassis, née Bouvier.

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née British  

/ neɪ /

adjective

1. indicating the maiden name of a married woman

   Mrs Bloggs née Blandish

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Gender

Née has long been used in English, as in French, to pair a woman’s married name with her maiden name. Since women are more likely to change their names in adulthood, the feminine-inflected form of this French word, spelled with a second letter e, is the one most widely used and recognized. While in French a man’s original name would be noted with the masculine form né , some English speakers are only familiar with the form née. It is not uncommon to see this feminine form used for masculine names, or inanimate objects: the Tennessee Titans, née the Houston Oilers. On the other hand, because English has no gender inflection, it is normal for borrowed words to lose gender markings, so the masculine form né is also sometimes seen modifying a woman’s name: Marilyn Monroe, né Norma Jean Mortensen.

Etymology

Origin of née

First recorded in 1750–60; from French née, feminine of né (past participle of naître “to be born”), ultimately derived from Latin nātus; nascent

Example Sentences

Kirsty Grabham, 24, nee Wilkinson, had been reported missing by her husband Paul a week earlier on 30 March, last seen by friends after a night out the previous Friday.

From BBC

"In the last few weeks, our family took some consolation, thinking that perhaps Nee's death would bring about change in our country, and it has not," Luke Ganger, Good's brother, told the US Congress.

From Barron's

As a multiple of forward earnings, shares of NextEra Energy NEE -0.31%decrease; red down pointing triangle , a top renewable-energy player, have stayed roughly flat compared with the beginning of the year at around 20 times.

From The Wall Street Journal

A firm nee from the Dutch over McDonald’s AI-generated Christmas ad.

From MarketWatch

Robinson-Foster initially started writing verse as a teenager around 2004, becoming an established performance poet under the name Nee Hi, as well as being part of a grime outfit called Ear 2 da Street.

From BBC