as in Christian name
a name that is placed before one's family name
the parents still haven't picked a first name for the baby
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Recent Examples of first name
No clarification on whether Beasley is a first name or last.
—
Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 17 July 2025
Birth Names That Top the Chart The study also reveals the most common first names among our greatest thinkers: John tops the list with 18 appearances, followed closely by Mary with 15.
—Sarah Scott, Parents, 16 July 2025
When Elon Musk’s DOGE requested employee names from government agencies, Ratcliffe failed to protect C.I.A. personnel, submitting a list of agents which included their real first names—a potential security risk.
—Keith Gessen, New Yorker, 16 July 2025
This article has been updated to reflect that Jon Hamm's first name doesn't have an 'h' in it.
—Eileen Falkenberg-Hull, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for first name
Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 17 July 2025
Birth Names That Top the Chart The study also reveals the most common first names among our greatest thinkers: John tops the list with 18 appearances, followed closely by Mary with 15.
—Sarah Scott, Parents, 16 July 2025
When Elon Musk’s DOGE requested employee names from government agencies, Ratcliffe failed to protect C.I.A. personnel, submitting a list of agents which included their real first names—a potential security risk.
—Keith Gessen, New Yorker, 16 July 2025
This article has been updated to reflect that Jon Hamm's first name doesn't have an 'h' in it.
—Eileen Falkenberg-Hull, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for first name
Recent Examples of Synonyms for first name
Noun
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Before Wales’ women’s teams were given names on the back of their shirts in 2019, Fishlock’s was the one people could reel off, a byword for Welsh women’s football.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
10 July 2025
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Recent options at An’s Dry Cleaning, which are given names related to fabric, included Canvas (olive oil and rosemary), Broken Heart Brocade (chocolate, brownie and raspberry jam) and Melton (mango and peach).—
Abby Hamblin,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 June 2025
Noun
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And when deadline day was complete, Correa’s agent, Scott Boras, referenced the nickname of Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh to describe the Twins’ maneuvers to slash payroll.—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
1 Aug. 2025
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John was also known as John Luke, a nickname his older cousin gave him.—
Damenica Ellis,
Charlotte Observer,
1 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“First name.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/first%20name. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
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