Christian name


noun
  1. Also called baptismal name. the name given one at baptism, as distinguished from the family name.

  2. a person's first or given name.

Origin of Christian name

1
First recorded in 1540–50

Words Nearby Christian name

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Christian name in a sentence

  • Since they were sitting in the nursery, her mother allowed the Christian name to pass without reproof.

    Plashers Mead | Compton Mackenzie
  • My husband wanted to give me a pleasant surprise, for the name of this estate is identical with my Christian-name.

    Dame Care | Hermann Sudermann
  • I was a foundling child, picked up somewhere or another, and I always understood my christian-name to be Gill.

  • I hardly like calling you by your Christian name but it sounds so like a surname that perhaps it won't be so bad.

    Jack O' Judgment | Edgar Wallace
  • His Christian name was William, and his wearing a longer sword than was usual gave him his surname.

British Dictionary definitions for Christian name

Christian name

noun
  1. a personal name formally given to Christians at christening

usage For Christian name

This word was often loosely used to mean any person's first name as distinct from his or her surname. Nowadays, especially in official documents, alternatives which do not refer to a particular faith, and are therefore more inclusive, are often used: first name, forename and given name

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012