Definition name in British English

Talking or writing about names

first name/Christian name a personal name that you are given when you are born: The children call me Mrs Jones, but actually my first name is Mary.

last name or /surname your family name: Will you change your surname if you marry?

second/middle name the name that comes after your first name but is not often used except to identify you formally: My second name is Victoria, after my grandmother.

maiden name a woman’s last name before she was married: I still use my maiden name for work purposes.

nickname an invented name that other people call you, especially when you are young: His nickname was Penguin because of the way he walked.

stage name a name that actors use in their professional career that is different from their real name: She thought Joan Smith was too boring, so she decided to use the stage name Maria Vitalez.

nom de plume/pen name/pseudonym a name that writers sometimes use so that their real identity is not known: She wrote all her detective novels under the pen name Barbara Greensmith.

initials the first letters of each of your names: His initials H.I. were carved on the side of the desk.

title an official name that you put in front of your own name that shows your status in society: Officially my title is Doctor Jones, but most people just call me Janet. ♦ When his father dies he will have the title of Duke of Cumberland.

alias a false name that someone, especially a criminal, uses to keep their real identity secret: He went under several aliases, including Bernard Kopf and Harold Gene.