as in surnames
a woman's last name before she is married
After she divorced, she took back her maiden name.
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Recent Examples of maiden names
In a step that rights activists call an attempt to block a dual-surname system, Takaichi is calling for a law to allow the greater use of maiden names as aliases instead.
—
Mari Yamaguchi, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2026
In a step that rights activists call an attempt to block a dual-surname system, Takaichi is calling for a law to allow the greater use of maiden names as aliases instead.
—Mari Yamaguchi, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026
In a step that rights activists call an attempt to block a dual-surname system, Takaichi is calling for a law to allow the greater use of maiden names as aliases instead.
—ABC News, 17 Feb. 2026
Mari Yamaguchi, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2026
In a step that rights activists call an attempt to block a dual-surname system, Takaichi is calling for a law to allow the greater use of maiden names as aliases instead.
—Mari Yamaguchi, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026
In a step that rights activists call an attempt to block a dual-surname system, Takaichi is calling for a law to allow the greater use of maiden names as aliases instead.
—ABC News, 17 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for maiden names
Noun
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Hispanic surnames Huff accused Zamora of mounting a primary challenge against her — rather than seeking an open seat or one held by a Latino judge — because of Huff’s race.—
Molly Smith,
San Antonio Express-News,
20 Mar. 2026
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For her and many other Iranians who spoke to CNN – their surnames withheld to protect their identities – the past three weeks have been filled with a sense of hopelessness and fear.—
Leila Gharagozlou,
CNN Money,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Křížová played in 77 regular-season games and 18 playoff games as part of the Frost’s back-to-back Walter Cup titles.—
Twin Cities,
Twin Cities,
31 Mar. 2026
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Logan Paul and Austin Theory of The Vision defeated The Usos in a street fight to capture the titles, with the finish coming after a sequence involving internet personality IShowSpeed, brass knuckles, and an accidental shot on LA Knight.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Brooklyn was missing its usual names, too.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
30 Mar. 2026
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At the very least NESN did a better job designing its new scorebug than the one Netflix used on its Opening Night broadcast, where viewers needed a microscope to read the pitcher and batters’ names, the pitch count and pretty much everything else outside of the score.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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However, unlike similar programs, these folks have to stay true to their Southern roots and family names, a difficult feat in today’s modern world.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 Feb. 2026
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Everyone on both sides of my family has always used family names, which has been really important to me to continue only using family names with my children.—
Hannah Sacks,
PEOPLE,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The inside jokes, the nicknames, the handshakes, singing the songs together.—
Meg Walters,
Glamour,
25 Mar. 2026
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The inside jokes, the nicknames, the handshakes, singing the songs together.—
Lauryn Overhultz,
FOXNews.com,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The military will now use 31 religious affiliations, down from more than 200, which included many small Protestant denominations as well as identifications for Wiccans, atheists and agnostics.—
Tiffany Stanley,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Mar. 2026
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The initiative is the brainchild of an existing ecumenical network of Catholic and other Christian denominations, the Churches and Mining Network, that is active in particular in Latin America.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
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His parents, asylum-seekers from Colombia who asked to be identified only by their first names for fear of retaliation, said their son’s physical and emotional health deteriorated at Dilley.—
Mike Hixenbaugh,
NBC news,
24 Mar. 2026
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Official statistics are hard to come by, but town residents — several of whom asked to be identified by only first names to protect their safety — estimated around 80 cars were set aflame in a municipality of just 20,000 people.—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Maiden names.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maiden%20names. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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