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
  • This insularity causes the same surnames to show up over and over in public records from Followers communities in Idaho, and, just as happened in the faith’s earlier generations, the sprawling Followers families tend to intermarry.
    — Audrey Dutton, ProPublica, 25 Aug. 2026
  • In 2019, his great-nephews Albert and Lawrence Lewitinn (their surnames are spelled differently than the artist’s) inherited about 1,000 of the artist’s works.
    — R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of surnames
Noun
  • Putellas’ new team-mate Nikita Parris, who has won two top-tier titles and a Champions League in her career, suggests an athlete’s mental steel endures regardless of the context.
    — Katie Whyatt, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Tom Brady’s 23-season NFL career includes seven Super Bowl titles, three MVP awards, numerous endorsements with lifestyle brands like Ugg, and the distinction as the greatest player ever.
    — Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of titles
Noun
  • In practice, there were a range of depictions of these goddesses in ancient Greece—their number, their names, and their traits differ across sources.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The names usually reference the location of the tree, and maybe a flavor note.
    — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 2 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
  • There are famous sailing ships with female names that many Americans can cite, such as the nicknames for the three Spanish ships — the Niña, Pinta and Santa María — used by Christopher Columbus during his famed first voyage to the New World in 1492.
    — Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Hig nicknames her The Beast, which seems more of an inner monologue moniker.
    — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 28 Aug. 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
  • 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
  • Osterholm sent this text message in August 2021 to several people, with just their first names included.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of first names

Browse Nearby Words

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 3 Sep. 2026.

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