Definition of "maiden name" []

• A woman's family name before she is married. Used of a surname that is replaced by a woman when she marries. Also called birth name. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Her maiden name was Linda Mooneyham and she was just seventeen at the time Lance was born."
• "When the reporter asked Elizabeth for her name, I quickly cut in with “Her name is Elizabeth Sherman,” using her maiden name as a dodge."
• "“Fitting,” said Mrs. Richard Morgan, whose maiden name was Lock."