given name

noun

: a name that precedes one's surname
especially : first name

Examples of given name in a Sentence

everyone calls me Jack, but my given name is John
Recent Examples on the Web New businesses are given names such as Launchpad Crossing and The Moon Rock. Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 1 Feb. 2024 The British tabloid claimed that Spears detailed her vision for the music and that Charli XCX (given name Charlotte Aitchison) began recording songs in a studio. Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2024 Greene served as the town's first mayor, and streets were given names like Noel Street, Reindeer Drive, and Candy Cane Lane. Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 30 Oct. 2023 The caterpillars are usually plucked out of trees in the days before the race and given names, like racehorses. Corey Buhay, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Oct. 2023 In the era before hurricanes were given names, the storms became known as the Treasure Coast Hurricane, which hit southeast Florida, and the Cuba-Brownsville hurricane, which hit south Texas. Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2023 Click on the videos below to hear stories about how given names — and the process of reclaiming them — can shape identities, reveal family histories, and provide cultural connections. Olivia Yarvis, BostonGlobe.com, 31 May 2023 Author Lewis Carroll—given name Charles Dodgson—betrays even deeper cultural anxiety about exuberant or overly demonstrative feminine behavior in his children’s stories, specifically in the canonical yet chimerical Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865). Longreads, 27 Mar. 2020 Do’s given name was Phuong Thanh Dang. Sam Whiting, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 Aug. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'given name.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1717, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of given name was in 1717

Dictionary Entries Near given name

Cite this Entry

“Given name.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/given%20name. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

given name

noun

More from Merriam-Webster on given name

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