birth name

[ burth neym ]

noun

1. the surname inherited by a person at birth, especially a woman’s maiden name.
2. the first or middle name that is given to a person at birth, but which may be changed later according to preference, upon adoption, after gender transition, etc. deadname ( def 1 ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of birth name¹

First recorded in 1865–70 birth name fordef 1; 1975–80 birth name fordef 2

Example Sentences

Court records and all official references to Yoakam at the Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women refer to him by his legal female birth name.

From Washington Blade

Nobody named Karen faces systematic discrimination on the basis of their birth name.

From Nautilus

Meanwhile, his grandfather was named Marion—also the birth name of John Wayne.

From The Daily Beast

And she did not like the fact that his birth name is Johnny Reid [Edwards], she never called him Johnny Reid like Rielle did.

From The Daily Beast

Then there is the once influential Amiri Baraka, formerly a formidable literary talent whose birth name was LeRoi Jones.

From The Daily Beast

Aubrey at thirty might worry his head about her parents and her birth-name.

From Project Gutenberg

No one can exchange his clan or birth name, any more than he can change his sex.

From Project Gutenberg

Children are named after the day of the week on which they were born, and nicknames are frequently substituted for the birth name.

From Project Gutenberg

When they came to the surface they jumped about in the water, making it muddy; hence the birth-name for the first son, Ni-gaqude.

From Project Gutenberg

By and by they opened their eyes in the water; hence their first birth-name, Niadi-icta-ugaba.

From Project Gutenberg