middle name

noun

Definition of middle namenext
as in 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 middle name All the host has to do is say his name — his full name, which includes his middle name, Harrington — without laughing. — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2026 Lena shares the middle name with her mother, Zara’s second cousin, Charlotte; Princess Beatrice; and Princess Anne. — Andrea Wurzburger, PEOPLE, 7 Aug. 2026 The sighting comes after Suri, who is studying musical theater at Carnegie Melon’s School of Drama, legally removed Cruise as her last name in Pennsylvania and changed her surname to Noelle, Katie’s middle name. — Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 3 Aug. 2026 Dean has been outspoken about her parents’ love for musicians like Carole King, Al Greene, and Lauryn Hill, from whom Dean gets her middle name, per BBC. — Afia Asamoah, InStyle, 2 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for middle name
Recent Examples of Synonyms for middle name
  1. maiden name
  2. family name
  3. first name
  4. baptismal name
  5. nomenclature
Noun
  • Woods, who competes using her maiden name Sophie Amy Grant, set off on July 4 in Trieste, Italy, and finished on the Mediterranean coast of Monaco.
    — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Her roots in northwest Missouri run deep, as Mozingo Lake in Nodoway County carries her maiden name.
    — Sophie Lindberg July 27, Kansas City Star, 27 July 2026
Definition of maiden name
Noun
  • Ripp admits that part of the goal here is to restore credit for Mazur and perhaps even to his own family name.
    — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Gere acknowledged that his family name inevitably complicates perceptions of his success.
    — Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of family name
Noun
  • Not only was Langdon stealing medication to fuel his secret opioid addiction—but his first name was Frank.
    — Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The tape begins with Stewart joking that Oliver wouldn't be able to use his first name if he's hired because the show already has one Jon.
    — Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of first name
Noun
  • Toni is an abbreviation of her baptismal name, Anthony.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 May 2026
  • Born with his baptismal name of Robert Francis Prevost, his papal name is more of a traditional choice — and one with a storied history.
    — Rachel Raposas, People.com, 9 May 2025
Definition of baptismal name
Noun
  • Many women-forward organizations are rightfully changing their nomenclature and their audience to be inclusive of non-binary and trans women, because that’s a whole other subsection that is often more ignored.
    — Selena Fragassi, SPIN, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Public-health officials coined a nonjudgmental nomenclature that persists to this day.
    — Michael Powell, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026
Definition of nomenclature

Browse Nearby Words

middlemen
middle name
middle names
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Cite this Entry

“Middle name.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/middle%20name. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on middle name

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about middle name

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