deadname

English

Alternative forms

• dead name, dead-name

Etymology

From dead +‎ name, because the old name is dead (“no longer used”). Attested since at least 2010 as a noun and 2013 as a verb by the OED.

Noun

deadname (plural deadnames)

1. (neologism, especially LGBT) A previous name of a person (especially a transgender person) who has since changed their name.
   • 2014, Natalia Moorin, “My Illness Is Not Your Inspiration”, in Damsel, University of Western Australia, page 21:

     And when people constantly refer to you as your deadname [a name that you previously went by], or use the incorrect pronouns, it really is like getting slapped with a wet fish.

   • 2018 February 27, Amy O'Kruk, “Apology to readers”, in Western Gazette, Western University, page 2:

     One of the articles in our last issue contained a major error: we referred to a transgender student by their deadname.

   • 2018, Alex McFadden, quoted in Noni Cole & Ruby Perryman, "The Unfair University ID Card", Farrago (University of Melbourne), Edition Three (2018), page 7:

     “My deadname is everywhere because of my ID card, and not only do I have to look at it but lots of other people get to see. […]

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:deadname.

Hypernyms

• birth name

Coordinate terms

• maiden name

Related terms

• dename, rename

Translations

a previous name of a person

• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 棄名／弃名 (qìmíng) (neologism)

• Finnish: entinen nimi, kuollut nimi
• French: deadname (fr) m, morinom (fr) m
• Polish: byłe imię n, deadname (pl) m, dednejm m
• Russian: please add this translation if you can
• Spanish: necrónimo m

References

“deadname, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, June 2021., “dead name”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Verb

deadname (third-person singular simple present deadnames, present participle deadnaming, simple past and past participle deadnamed)

1. To refer to someone (especially a transgender person) who has changed names by a previous name.
   • 2015 June 17, Luca Kuchinka, “Caitlyn's story inspiring, spotlight should be shared”, in Estevan Mercury, page A7:

     Using trans peoples' dead names – names that they were born with which are either wrong through either legal or preferential means – has been and always will be an act of aggression, not just to the person you're deadnaming but to all trans people.

   • 2018, Alex, quoted in Sylvie Woods, "Students pay the price for 'tired' administration", Honi Soit (University of Sydney), Volume 90, Week 9 (2018), page 12:

     "Right now, it's unclear whether they are choosing to deadname me maliciously, or just can't be bothered to accommodate trans students in the way we require them to," he said.

   • 2020 May 1, Kirkus Reviews, page 130:

     Felix's dad deadnames him despite supporting his top surgery and hormone therapy, and he hates his mom for leaving when he was 10.

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:deadname.

Translations

to refer to someone by their previous name

• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 棄名錯稱／弃名错称 (qìmíng cuòchēng) (neologism)

• Finnish: kutsua entisellä nimellä, kutsua kuolleella nimellä
• French: morinommer (fr), deadnamer (fr)
• Polish: mówić po byłym imieniu impf, dednejmować impf
• Russian: please add this translation if you can
• Spanish: please add this translation if you can

See also

• dead-naming (“act or instance of naming as the target of a death-curse”)
• misgender
• necronym

References

• “deadname, v.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, June 2021.
• “dead name”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.