Maiden Name Meaning
A maiden name is the family surname a woman has before marriage. Learn what a maiden name means, where to find it, examples, and how it differs from a married name.
Published · 2 min read · Free · No sign-up
Quick answer
A maiden name is the family surname a woman is born with and uses before she marries. If she takes her spouse's surname at marriage, her maiden name becomes her former or birth surname — for example, if Sarah Johnson marries and becomes Sarah Smith, 'Johnson' is her maiden name.
What Does Maiden Name Mean?
A maiden name is the family surname (last name) a woman is given at birth and uses up until she marries. The word “maiden” is an old English term for a young, unmarried woman, so a maiden name literally means the name held during one’s unmarried, or “maiden,” years.
When a woman marries and chooses to take her spouse’s surname, the name she was born with becomes her maiden name, sometimes also called a birth name, née name, or former name. For example, if Emily Roberts marries and becomes Emily Garcia, then Roberts is her maiden name and Garcia is her married name.
Maiden Name vs Married Name
The distinction is simple but often confused:
| Term | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Maiden name | Surname at birth, before marriage | Emily Roberts |
| Married name | Surname adopted after marriage | Emily Garcia |
| Née | French for “born”; precedes maiden name | Emily Garcia, née Roberts |
| Hyphenated name | Both surnames joined | Emily Roberts-Garcia |
Not everyone changes their name at marriage. Common modern choices include keeping the maiden name entirely, hyphenating both surnames, moving the maiden name to the middle-name slot, or (less commonly) the spouse adopting the woman’s surname.
Where to Find a Maiden Name
A maiden name appears on records created before a person married, including:
- Birth certificate — shows the name at birth
- Old school records or diplomas — issued under the maiden name
- Marriage certificate — typically lists both the maiden name and the new married name
- Passports or IDs issued before marriage
- Family genealogy records and census data
This is why “What is your mother’s maiden name?” is such a common security question — the answer is personal family knowledge that rarely appears on public documents.
Mother’s Maiden Name
Your mother’s maiden name is the surname she carried before she married — usually her own father’s family name. Because it is private and not printed on everyday documents, banks, insurers, and websites have long used it as a knowledge-based security question.
Security experts now caution against relying on it: with social media and genealogy databases, a mother’s maiden name can sometimes be discovered, so it should be treated as semi-private rather than truly secret.
Maiden Name Examples
| Person | Maiden Name | Married Name |
|---|---|---|
| Jacqueline Kennedy | Bouvier | Kennedy |
| Hillary Clinton | Rodham | Clinton |
| Michelle Obama | Robinson | Obama |
| Beyoncé Knowles-Carter | Knowles | Carter |
These show the range of choices: some women fully adopt the married name, while others (like Knowles-Carter) hyphenate to keep both.
Is “Maiden Name” Still the Right Term?
Because the term is gendered and assumes a woman changes her name, many institutions now prefer the neutral phrase “name at birth” or “former name.” These apply to anyone who has changed their surname — including men who take a spouse’s name, people who marry same-sex partners, or anyone who legally changes their name for personal reasons. “Maiden name” remains widely understood, but “birth name” is increasingly the inclusive standard on official forms.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a maiden name?
A maiden name is the last name (surname) a person, traditionally a woman, has at birth and uses before marriage. If she adopts her spouse's surname when she marries, the original birth surname is called her maiden name. It is also commonly referred to as a birth name, née name, or former name. The term comes from 'maiden,' an old word for an unmarried young woman.
What is my mother's maiden name?
Your mother's maiden name is the surname she had before she got married — her own father's family name, or the name she was born with. For example, if your mother's name is now Mary Williams but she was born Mary Carter, then 'Carter' is her maiden name. This is a common security question for banks and online accounts because it is private information not printed on most public records.
What is the difference between a maiden name and a married name?
A maiden name is the surname held before marriage (the birth surname), while a married name is the surname adopted after marriage, usually the spouse's family name. For instance, the actress born Margaret Hyland who marries Mr. Court would have 'Hyland' as her maiden name and 'Court' as her married name. Some people keep their maiden name, hyphenate both, or use the maiden name as a middle name.
What does 'née' mean?
'Née' (pronounced 'nay') is a French word meaning 'born,' used to indicate a woman's maiden name. It appears before the birth surname — for example, 'Jacqueline Kennedy, née Bouvier' means she was born with the surname Bouvier. The masculine form is 'né.' It is a polite, formal way to note someone's name before marriage.
Do men have maiden names?
Traditionally the term 'maiden name' refers to women, since historically women more often changed their surname at marriage. The gender-neutral term is 'birth name' or 'former name,' which applies to anyone who changes their surname, including men who take a spouse's name or anyone who legally changes their name. Some forms now ask for 'name at birth' instead of 'maiden name.'