deadname

English

Etymology

From dead +‎ name, because the old name is dead (“no longer used”). Attested since at least 2014.

Alternative forms

• dead name, dead-name

Noun

deadname (plural deadnames)

1. 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", 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.

   • 2015 May 19, Jane Fae, "Changing your name should be a joyous moment, but for many it’s a nightmare", The Guardian:

     Once you’ve changed your name, accessing the old one can be traumatic: not for nothing is it referred to as “deadname”.

Verb

deadname (third-person singular simple present deadnam, present participle ed, simple past and past participle deadnamed)

1. To refer to someone (especially a transgender person) who has changed names by a previous name.
   • 2014 August 13, “The 'transgender tipping point': how and why attitudes are changing”, in The Week UK:

     The press has often been accused of using offensive phrases and terminology when discussing trans people, including the misuse of pronouns, continuous 'deadnaming' – referring to a trans person's previous name – as well as giving a platform to transantagonistic people.

   • 2014 November 25, “Sarah Vine criticises lesbian mother Jack Monroe”, in The Independent‎^[1]:

     Gay poverty campaigner Jack Monroe has condemned "homophobic, deadnaming, ignorant" comments made by columnist Sarah Vine about her decision to become a mother in a same sex relationship.

   • 2015 June 17, Estevan Mercury‎^[2]:

     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, Twitter Hateful conduct policy‎^[3]:

     We prohibit targeting individuals with repeated slurs, tropes or other content that intends to dehumanize, degrade or reinforce negative or harmful stereotypes about a protected category. This includes targeted misgendering or deadnaming of transgender individuals.

Translations

to refer to someone by their previous name

• French: morinommer (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

See also

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