[Ads-l] maiden name
Barretts Mail
mail.barretts at GMAIL.COM
Mon Feb 19 03:06:52 UTC 2018
According to the English Oxford Living Dictionaries (https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/maiden_name <https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/maiden_name>) and Wiktionary (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/maiden_name <https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/maiden_name>), a maiden name is a married woman’s original surname.
In "'I took my wife's name - and then the hassle began” (http://www.bbc.com/news/stories-42961568 <http://www.bbc.com/news/stories-42961568>, 18 Feb 2018), Wayne Harding discusses his maiden name:
"My boss still refuses to accept my new name and insists on using my maiden name instead.”
It should also be noted that the OLD says the term maiden name applies to a woman taking her husband’s surname, but that should be extended to include a woman after taking her wife’s surname.
Benjamin Barrett
Formerly of Seattle, WA
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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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