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

Leave it to Lisa Barlow to combine two security questions (pet name and mother’s maiden name) into one. — Tom Smyth, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026

Her middle name, Hepler, was Lowe’s late mother’s maiden name and is his brother Rob Lowe‘s middle name, per People. — Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026

In the comics, Ben Reilly is a successful, stable Spider-Man clone whose name is a combination of the first name of Peter’s uncle Ben and the maiden name of his Aunt May and who develops a superhero identity of his own, the Scarlet Spider. — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2026

Stein’s maiden name is Prosterman, according to the formal demand. — Jay Cohen, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1653, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for maiden name

• aspartame
• counterclaim
• overcame
• underframe
• username
• acclaim
• aflame
• airframe
• ballgame
• became
• declaim
• defame

Kids Definition

maiden name

noun

: a woman's family name before she is married