maiden name
noun
plural maiden names
: the surname prior to marriage of a person who takes their spouse's last name
especially
: the surname of a married or divorced woman prior to marriage
After she divorced, she took back her maiden name.
Examples of maiden name in a Sentence
After she divorced, she took back her maiden name.
Recent Examples on the Web
Mary, then known by her maiden name Mary Godwin, was only 18 and still recovering from the loss of her first child.
—
Thomas Page McBee, Travel + Leisure, 16 Sep. 2025
Two years later, Wilson legally changed her name and gender, choosing to take her mother’s maiden name.
—Pilar Melendez, NBC news, 16 Sep. 2025
The choice to use her mother’s maiden name was both personal tribute and strategic positioning.
—Angela Lei, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Voting rights groups have expressed particular concerns about married women who changed their names, as their birth certificates list maiden names—issues already documented in New Hampshire town elections under that state's new proof-of-citizenship law.
—Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for maiden name
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Thomas Page McBee, Travel + Leisure, 16 Sep. 2025
Two years later, Wilson legally changed her name and gender, choosing to take her mother’s maiden name.
—Pilar Melendez, NBC news, 16 Sep. 2025
The choice to use her mother’s maiden name was both personal tribute and strategic positioning.
—Angela Lei, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Voting rights groups have expressed particular concerns about married women who changed their names, as their birth certificates list maiden names—issues already documented in New Hampshire town elections under that state's new proof-of-citizenship law.
—Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for maiden name
Cite this Entry
“Maiden name.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maiden%20name. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.
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