Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
forename

forename

1 2.1
The first name someone has before their family name
  • noun
  • /ˈfɔrnɪm/
  • UK
translation icon : nombre de pila
  • My forename is Emily, but most people call me Em.

Examples

  • The sample pot should be labelled with three identifiers: the client's forename, surname, and date of birth.

    Academic text (2015)

  • By bringing together a very common Spanish surname, Garcia, and the unique, iconic forename Hamlet, Masip creates a man-in-the-street version of the Shakespearean archetype, limiting its profile to that of the 'detached intellectual.'

    Academic text (2018)

  • Please write your forename before your surname on the form.

  • Her full name is Sarah Johnson, but she prefers to use her forename.

Synonyms

first name
vsforename
178 1.0

A name given at birth used before the family name

is the neutral term for the name that comes before the family name
given name
vsforename
13 2.0

The name a person has before their family name

is focused on the name that comes before the family name

Antonyms

surname
27 1.6

A name that people in the same family share

Surface Forms

forename singular
forenames plural

Morphology

forename = name (transparent) = fore + name + fore

Formed by the productive prefix 'fore-' meaning 'before' plus 'name', yielding the obvious sense 'the name that comes before the family name'.

Etymology

Forename comes from the parts fore- meaning 'before' and name. So a forename is the name that comes before your family name, in other words your first name.