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
Gwen Walz, whose maiden name is Whipple, was born in Glencoe, Minnesota and grew up in western Minnesota, according to her Minnesota First Lady website.
—
Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 6 Aug. 2024
Furneaux — that was her mother’s maiden name — appeared onstage in Macbeth and The Taming of the Shrew and showed up in her first films, Meet Me Tonight and the Merle Oberon-starring Affair in Monte Carlo, in 1952.
—Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 July 2024
Christina also appeared to change her last name from Haack (her maiden name) to Hall on her real estate license.
—Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 16 July 2024
Moon, then known by her maiden name, Nageotte, won gold in pole vault in Tokyo and followed that up with world titles in 2022 and 2023.
—Mark Osborne, ABC News, 26 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for maiden name 
Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 6 Aug. 2024
Furneaux — that was her mother’s maiden name — appeared onstage in Macbeth and The Taming of the Shrew and showed up in her first films, Meet Me Tonight and the Merle Oberon-starring Affair in Monte Carlo, in 1952.
—Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 July 2024
Christina also appeared to change her last name from Haack (her maiden name) to Hall on her real estate license.
—Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 16 July 2024
Moon, then known by her maiden name, Nageotte, won gold in pole vault in Tokyo and followed that up with world titles in 2022 and 2023.
—Mark Osborne, ABC News, 26 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for maiden name
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'maiden name.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near maiden name
Cite this Entry
“Maiden name.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maiden%20name. Accessed 18 Aug. 2024.
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