Deadname
noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A previous name of a person (especially a transgender person) who has since changed their name. neologism
"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."
- 1 To refer to someone (especially a transgender person) who has changed names by a previous name. transitive
"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."
Example
More examples"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."
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.
Related phrases
More for "deadname"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.