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maiden names

noun

plural of maiden name
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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of maiden names For some families, maiden names or other significant surnames are carried on as first names. — Lisa Milbrand, Parents, 1 Apr. 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
  1. surnames
  2. titles
  3. names
  4. family names
  5. nicknames
  6. denominations
  7. first names
Noun
  • The surnames of the latter two defendants were withheld in according with Mexican criminal procedure.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The couple lived between New York City, Denmark, France, and Tuxedo Park, according to listing agent Richard Ellis, and their surnames inspired the property’s name.
    — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of surnames
Noun
  • His first three teams in Los Angeles won championships behind the dynamic duo of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, and the Lakers added two more titles in 2009 and 2010 led by Bryant and Pau Gasol.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 Sep. 2026
  • But this was one of the most dominant individual campaigns in a season where collective effort won the biggest titles.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of titles
Noun
  • Reilly’s September 10 report found consensus estimates for S&P 500 earnings growth now matching dot-com-era peaks, concentrated overwhelmingly in technology and semiconductor names.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Working with some of the hottest names, a list that includes Celine, Bottega Veneta, Loewe and The Row, has given her a front-row seat to the evolution.
    — WWD Staff, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of names
Noun
  • There’s no rule banning an heir from naming their child after a color or city, but using oft-traditional family names lends historical weight to a future ruler from the day they’re born.
    — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Others have kept family names with local ties, like Wade Ford and Curry Honda.
    — Sean Tucker, AJC.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of family names
Noun
  • Feminine and sophisticated, the name still feels fresh, with Josie and Jo as easy nicknames.
    — Liz Regalia, Parents, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Inspired by one of Jordan’s many nicknames, the Black Cat line has become one of the most popular themes in the Air Jordan line.
    — Riley Jones, Footwear News, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of nicknames
Noun
  • These denominations defined the mainstream in American life; nearly every President from the turn of the century to 1960 came out of these churches.
    — Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Across American Christianity, traditional denominations were shrinking, and churches were closing.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of denominations
Noun
  • The Monitor is only using first names to identify underage migrants in this story, for privacy reasons.
    — Colette Davidson, Christian Science Monitor, 13 Sep. 2026
  • Louise Nevelson may not be among the first names that come to mind in the pantheon of important artists of the modernist movement.
    — Douglas Markowitz, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of first names

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maiden name
maiden names
maidens
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Cite this Entry

“Maiden names.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maiden%20names. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

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