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

Taiyon “Twin” Hector alleged in a Tuesday filing in Los Angeles County Superior Court that Blac Chyna — who now goes by her birth name, Angela White — “would regularly drink alcohol, and use other drugs, to excess” and when under the influence was “physically violent and verbally threatening and abusive.”

From Los Angeles Times

The allegations at the center of the suit date back to early 2022, when Inspector General Max Huntsman accused Villanueva, who was still sheriff at the time, of making a “racially based attack” and “dog whistling to the extremists he caters to” when he repeatedly referred to the inspector general by his foreign-sounding birth name, Max-Gustaf.

From Los Angeles Times

He was not allowed to use his birth name because what was then the Screen Actors Guild already had a Michael Douglas in its ranks — the “Wall Street” Oscar winner, whose late father, Kirk Douglas, actually changed his name from Issur Danielovitch Demsky.

From Los Angeles Times

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” star Michael Keaton wants to start using his birth name professionally.

From Los Angeles Times

She will be legally known as Shiloh Nouvel Jolie instead of by her birth name, Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt.

From Los Angeles Times