Skip to main content
assumed name

assumed name

1 6.9
A name a business uses that is different from its legal name
  • noun
  • /əˈsjumd neɪm/
  • Formal
translation icon : nombre comercial
  • He booked a room at the resort using an assumed name to keep his vacation private.

Examples

  • His assumed name typed, somewhere in the middle of the page, by a regular typewriter on an overused ribbon.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Operating out of Tennessee, the inspector accessed the AABBS using an assumed name and a Tennessee address and sent in an application form and fee to the Thomases in California in order to obtain a password.

    Academic text (2002)
  • " Not in any state's Assumed Names registry."

    Fiction book (1994)
  • It seems likely the writer was traveling under an assumed name.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • It might make sense if Bredon is from Yll and is using an assumed name.

    Blog text (24)
  • Then they parted company, and under an assumed name, Mac started a marine brokerage in Smyrna, presumably with his savings.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • The author wrote her bestselling novel under an assumed name to maintain her anonymity.

  • To avoid being recognized, he entered the restaurant under an assumed name that sounded completely different from his own.

Synonyms

DBA
vsassumed name
  • Jargon
3 8.3

A name a company uses to do business that is different from its legal name

is the full legal label usually written out in official records
fictitious name
vsassumed name
  • Formal
1 7.8

A name a business uses that is not its legal registered name

is the general legal label for that same business practice
doing business as
vsassumed name
  • Formal
1 5.6

A name a business uses that is not its legal name

is the legal label used in filings rather than casual speech

Antonyms

4 1.4

The official name a business registers with the government

How Official

company name
4 1.4
assumed name
  • Formal
1 6.9
brand name
33 1.6
nickname
  • Informal
262 1.1

Surface Forms

assumed name singular
assumed names plural

Morphology

assumed + name

The meaning 'a name used instead of one's legal name' is directly derivable from combining 'assumed' (taken or adopted) with 'name' (a word identifying someone), so a learner who knows both words can infer it denotes an alias or trade name. This compositional pattern is common across languages and follows a transparent adjective + noun logic, making it accessible to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Assumed name for a business comes from the picture of a shop putting up a different sign from the name on its papers. A company uses an assumed name to trade under a different title than its 'legal name', so it means 'the name a business uses that is not its official one'.