INDEX:
1. a person’s name
2. a name used by your friends and family that is not your real name
3. a name that someone uses that is not their real name
4. the name of a place, thing, product etc
5. to have a particular name
6. to give a name to someone or something
7. to publicly announce the name of someone
8. when you cannot remember or do not use the exact name
9. someone whose name is not known
10. when the name of someone or something is not suitable
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ WRITE 8 (to write your name)
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1. a person’s name
▷ name /neɪm/ [countable noun]
▪ What’s your name?
▪ I’m not very good at remembering people’s names.
▪ His name is Raymond Ford.
full name
all your names
▪ Ayrton Senna’s full name was Ayrton Senna da Silva.
sign your name
▪ She must have written to Laura without signing her name.
call somebody’s name
▪ The doctor will call your name when he is ready to see you.
mention somebody by name
▪ She didn’t mention you by name, but I’m sure it was you she was talking about.
▷ first name also given name American /ˈfɜːʳst ˌneɪm, ˈgɪv ə n ˌneɪm/ [countable noun]
the name that your parents choose for you when you are born, which in Western countries comes at the beginning of your full name :
▪ Her first name is Liz. I don’t know her surname.
▪ Fill out the form with your last name, followed by your given name.
▷ Christian name /ˈkrɪstʃ ə n ˌneɪm/ [countable noun]
someone’s first name, or the name that Christian parents choose for a baby when they christen it :
▪ My mother’s Christian name was Mary.
▷ middle name also second name British /ˈmɪdl ˌneɪm, ˈsekənd ˌneɪm/ [countable noun]
the name that comes between your first and last names :
▪ John F. Kennedy’s middle name was Fitzgerald.
▪ Vicki won’t tell anyone her second name.
▷ last name/surname /ˈlɑːst ˌneɪmǁˈlæst-, ˈsɜːʳneɪm,/ [countable noun]
your last name, which is the same as your parents’ name :
▪ I know his first name, but I can’t remember his last name.
▪ Smith is the most common English surname.
▷ maiden name /ˈmeɪdn ˌneɪm/ [countable noun]
the surname that a woman had before she was married :
▪ My mother kept her maiden name when she got married. did not change her name to her husband’s name
▷ family name /ˈfæm ə li ˌneɪm/ [countable noun]
the name that is shared by all the members of the same family :
▪ Joseph Conrad’s original family name was Korzeniowski.
carry on the family name
to pass on your family name to your children
▪ He died leaving no children to carry on the family name.
▷ initials /ɪˈnɪʃ ə lz/ [plural noun]
the first letters of each of your names :
▪ There’s no need to write out your full name. Just your initials will do.
▪ a suitcase marked with the initials JR
▷ title /ˈtaɪtl/ [countable noun]
a word such as Mrs, Miss, Ms, Mr, Dr, or Professor that you put before your name :
▪ The title ‘Ms’ became much more popular in the 1980s.
2. a name used by your friends and family that is not your real name
▷ nickname /ˈnɪkneɪm/ [countable noun]
a name given to someone by their friends or family, which is not their real name and is often chosen because of something about their appearance or behaviour :
▪ At school, her nickname was Carrots because of her red hair.
earn somebody a nickname
cause someone to have a particular nickname
▪ His black cloak earned him the nickname ‘Dracula’.
▷ pet name /ˈpet ˌneɪm/ [countable noun]
a name you call someone who you like very much, for example your boyfriend or a young child in your family :
▪ Her pet name for him is Tiger.
▪ She had pet names for all her grandchildren -- Curly, Longlegs, and Coco.
3. a name that someone uses that is not their real name
▷ false name /ˌfɔːls ˈneɪm/ [countable noun]
a name that someone uses instead of their real name, so that people will not find out who they really are :
▪ None of them had ever heard of Giles Williams, which was clearly a false name.
give/use a false name
▪ It is illegal to give a false name to your employer.
under a false name
using a false name
▪ The woman was a foreigner travelling under a false name.
▷ stage name /ˈsteɪdʒ ˌneɪm/ [countable noun]
the name used by an actor, singer etc instead of their real name :
▪ Greta Garbo was the stage name of Greta Gustavson, born in Stockholm in 1905.
▷ pseudonym /ˈsjuːdənɪmǁˈsuːdn-ɪm/ [countable noun]
a name used by someone, especially a writer, instead of their real name :
▪ ‘Saki’ was the pseudonym of the writer H.H.Monroe.
under the pseudonym
using the pseudonym
▪ Morton wrote a weekly column in ‘The Daily Telegraph' under the pseudonym ’Beachcomber'.
▷ pen name /ˈpen neɪm/ [countable noun]
a name used by a writer instead of their real name :
▪ The name Voltaire was in fact a pen name -- his real name was Francois Marie Arouet.
under the pen name
using the pen name
▪ She wrote her novels under the pen name George Eliot, because the publishers would not accept a manuscript written by a woman.
▷ alias /ˈeɪliəs/ [preposition]
a word meaning ‘also known as’, used when giving someone’s real name, together with a different name they also use or are known by, especially because they are a criminal :
▪ Carlos, alias "The Jackal', is wanted by police in several countries.
▪ We were introduced to Mrs Taylor, alias Meg Dods, author of the Housewife’s Manual.
alias [countable noun]
▪ Roberts is known to use a number of aliases, including Bill Smith, Paul Williams, and even Count Von Blixenburg.
▷ aka/a.k.a. /ˌeɪ keɪ ˈeɪ/
an abbreviation meaning ‘also known as’, used when giving someone’s real name together with a different name that they use or are known by, especially because they are a criminal :
▪ Standing there in front of me was Peter Downs, a.k.a. ‘The Leithgate Strangler’.
▷ under an assumed name /ʌndər ən əˌsjuːmd ˈneɪmǁ-əˌsuːmd-/ [adverb]
if you do something under an assumed name, you do it using a name that is not your real name, especially in order to do it dishonestly or secretly :
▪ He had rented a car under an assumed name.
▪ She entered the private clinic under an assumed name, but the press still managed to find out.
▷ go by the name of /ˌgəʊ baɪ ðə ˈneɪm ɒv/ [verb phrase]
if someone goes by the name of something, they tell people that this is their name, when in fact it is not :
▪ Herbert always hated his original name, so he went by the name of David.
▪ The photographs resembled a man who lived in New York and went by the name of Ivan Denisovich.
▷ under the name of something /ˌʌndəʳ ðə ˈneɪm əv something/ [adverb]
using a different name from your real name :
▪ They registered at the hotel under the name of Smith.
▪ Bollard set up a company under the name of Mr M. Roberts.
4. the name of a place, thing, product etc
▷ name /neɪm/ [countable noun]
▪ I’ve forgotten the name of the street where she lives.
get its name from something
▪ The village of Furnace got its name from the local industries of silver and iron smelting.
the Chinese/French etc name for something
▪ The Chinese name for this plant means ‘cat’s ears’.
▷ title /ˈtaɪtl/ [countable noun]
the name of a book, film, play, painting etc :
▪ I’ve read one of her books, but I can’t remember the title.
▪ What’s the title of this week’s assignment?
under the title
▪ The film was released in the UK under the title ‘Maybe Baby’.
▷ place name /ˈpleɪs ˌneɪm/ [countable noun]
the name of a place such as a town or an area of a country :
▪ In this part of the US many of the place names are of French origin.
▷ code name /ˈkəʊd ˌneɪm/ [countable noun]
a secret name for something such as a military plan that you do not want other people to know about :
▪ Operation Overlord was the code name of the Normandy landing which took place in June 1944.
▷ brand name /ˈbrænd ˌneɪm/ [countable noun]
the name given to a product by the company that makes it, often including the name of the company itself :
▪ Our customers prefer goods with brand names, such as Levis or Adidas.
▷ proper noun also proper name /ˈprɒpəʳ ˌnaʊn, ˈprɒpəʳ ˌneɪmǁˈprɑː-/ [countable noun]
the name of a person, place, or organization, usually written with a capital letter at the beginning - used when talking about grammar :
▪ Dictionaries don’t usually list proper names.
▪ Chicago, Stephen and Mount Everest are all proper nouns.
5. to have a particular name
▷ somebody’s name is something / somebodyˈs ˈneɪm ɪz something/:
▪ Hi! My name’s Ted. I’m from Florida.
▪ ‘Who’s that man over there?’ ‘His name is Lucio Mannonetti and he owns the company.’
▷ be called /biː ˈkɔːld/ [verb phrase]
to have a particular name - use this about a person, thing, or place :
▪ There’s someone called Russell on the phone for you.
▪ What’s the new teacher called?
▪ They are in favour of what is called ‘sustainable development’.
▪ It was scarcely big enough to be called a school - it was more like a garage.
▷ be named /biː ˈneɪmd/ [verb phrase]
someone who is named Paul, Jane etc has the name Paul, Jane etc :
▪ Their new baby is named Caroline.
▪ She went to the movies with some guy named Rudi.
▷ be known as /biː ˈnəʊn æz/ [verb phrase]
if someone or something is known as a particular name, that is the name that people call them, although it is not their real name :
▪ This area is known as Little Odessa because there are a lot of Russians living there.
be known to somebody as something
▪ He was known to his friends as Rambo.
be better known as something
▪ William Shatner is better known as Captain Kirk.
▷ be entitled /biː ɪnˈtaɪtld/ [verb phrase]
if a book, play, film, painting etc is entitled something, that is its name :
▪ Her first published novel was entitled ‘Rivers of Passion’.
▪ Biko contributed a column to the student newspaper which was entitled ‘I Write What I Like’.
▷ go by the name of /ˌgəʊ baɪ ðə ˈneɪm ɒv/ [verb phrase]
to be called something, use this especially when you are giving another better-known name for something :
▪ This kind of chilli powder sometimes goes by the name of cayenne pepper.
▪ The mixture of fish, rice and eggs goes by the name of kedgeree in most restaurants.
▷ be termed /biː ˈtɜːʳmd/ [verb phrase]
to be called by a particular name - used especially in scientific or technical contexts :
▪ This process, in which liquid metal is poured into moulds, is usually termed die-casting.
6. to give a name to someone or something
▷ call /kɔːl/ [transitive verb]
call somebody Paul/Jane etc
▪ My mother wanted to call me Yuri.
▪ Guidebooks call Chicago ‘The Windy City’.
▪ This is what psychologists call ‘body language’.
▷ name /neɪm/ [transitive verb]
to officially give someone or something a name :
▪ Have they named the baby yet?
name somebody Paul/Jane etc
▪ We named our daughter Sarah.
name somebody/something after somebody also name somebody/something for somebody
American
▪ Bill was named after his father.
▪ The new building is going to be named for Ronald Reagan.
▷ christen /ˈkrɪs ə n/ [verb phrase]
to give a baby its name at a Christian religious ceremony :
christen somebody Paul/Jane etc
▪ They christened him Patrick John.
▪ She was christened Jessica, but everyone calls her Jess.
▷ rename /riːˈneɪm/ [transitive verb]
to give something a new and different name :
▪ You can rename, delete, or copy files very easily.
rename something something
▪ New Amsterdam was renamed New York in the 17th Century.
7. to publicly announce the name of someone
▷ name /neɪm/ [transitive verb]
to publicly say who someone is, by telling people his or her name :
▪ She refused to name the father of her child.
name somebody as somebody
▪ Police have named the dead woman as Annabel Thomas.
▷ identify /aɪˈdentɪfaɪ, aɪˈdentəfaɪ/ [transitive verb]
to officially recognize someone and say that you know who they are, for example in order to help the police :
▪ The victim identified her attacker in court.
▪ Greg had to identify the body of his wife.
8. when you cannot remember or do not use the exact name
▷ what’s-his-name/what’s-her-name /ˈwɒts ɪz ˌneɪm, ˈwɒts ɜːʳ ˌneɪm/ [noun phrase] spoken informal
say this when you cannot remember someone’s name :
▪ She was with what’s-his-name - you know, the one who wears orange jeans.
▪ Send the report to what’s-her-name in Accounting.
▷ so-and-so /ˈsəʊ ənd səʊ/ [noun phrase]
an expression meaning a particular person, used especially when you are mentioning someone that another person often talks about, and their actual name is not important :
▪ Whenever you ask her about anything it’s always ‘so-and-so says this’, or ‘so-and-so says that’ -- she never gives her own honest opinion.
▪ They’re always gossiping about so-and-so having an affair with so-and-so.
▷ what’s-its-name also whatsit especially British /whatchamacallit American /ˈwɒts ɪts ˌneɪm, ˈwɒtsɪt, ˈwɒːtʃəməˌkɔːlɪtǁˈwɑːt-/ [noun phrase] spoken informal
say this when you cannot remember the name of something :
▪ What you need is a what’s-its-name ... a torque wrench.
▪ Did you see that boy with the whatsit round his head?
▪ ‘I’m going to have a whatchamacallit when I have a baby’ - ‘What, you mean an epidural?’
▷ thingamijig also thingy British /ˈθɪŋəmɪdʒɪg, ˈθɪŋəmədʒɪg, ˈθɪŋi/ [countable noun] informal
a small object that does a particular job, whose name you have forgotten or do not know :
▪ They have to use a special thingamijig to undo the nuts.
▪ What’s that plastic thingy called?
▷ doodad/doohickey /ˈduːdæd, ˈduːˌhɪki/ [countable noun] American
a small object whose name you have forgotten or do not know :
▪ She kept pressing the buttons on the remote control doodad.
▪ What’s this little doohickey for?
▷ such and such /ˈsʌtʃ ən ˌsʌtʃ/ [noun phrase]
an expression meaning a particular thing, used instead of giving examples of what you are talking about :
▪ Americans are very proud of their country -- they’re always saying that such and such is the biggest in the whole world.
such and such a person/place etc
▪ You can say to me, I want such and such a photographer, and I’ll try to get them for you.
9. someone whose name is not known
▷ anonymous /əˈnɒnɪməs, əˈnɒnəməsǁəˈnɑː-/ [adjective]
someone who is anonymous does something without saying what their name is, or their name is not known :
▪ The writer of the poem is anonymous.
an anonymous donor
someone who gives something but does not say publicly who they are
▪ $50,000 has been given to the charity by an anonymous donor from Utah.
anonymous letter/phone call
from someone who does not say their name
▪ I received anonymous phone calls warning me not to go to the police about what I’d seen.
somebody wishes to remain anonymous
▪ One source, who wished to remain anonymous, said that he had seen the woman go into his room.
anonymously [adverb]
▪ He sent the documents anonymously to a local newspaper.
anonymity /ˌænəˈnɪmɪti, ˌænəˈnɪməti/ [uncountable noun]
▪ If you are needed as a witness, your anonymity will be guaranteed we will promise that your name will not be made known to other people .
▷ unnamed /ˌʌnˈneɪmd◂/ [adjective]
an unnamed person is someone whose name has not been made known publicly :
▪ An unnamed bidder paid $23 million for the painting.
▪ The newspaper received the information from an unnamed source.
▷ unidentified /ˌʌnaɪˈdentɪfaɪd◂, ˌʌnaɪˈdentəfaɪd◂/ [adjective]
an unidentified person is someone whose name is not known because police or government officials have been unable to find out who they are, or have not said who they are :
▪ Five men were wounded by an unidentified gunman in Belfast city centre yesterday.
▪ The three bodies found in the river remain unidentified.
▪ An unidentified caller contacted the police and gave the names of the men involved in the robbery.
▷ incognito /ˌɪnkɒgˈniːtəʊǁˌɪnkɑːg-/ [adverb]
if a famous person goes somewhere incognito, they go there without telling people who they are :
▪ He tried to go incognito but his bizarre disguise made him stand out even more.
▷ unknown /ˌʌnˈnəʊn◂/ [adjective]
an unknown person is someone whose name is not known because you do not know them or because they are not famous :
▪ She said the flowers were from an unknown admirer.
▪ We met near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
unknown to
▪ Most of the stars in the movie are unknown to US audiences.
▷ nameless /ˈneɪmləs/ [adjective]
a nameless person is one of many people who are not famous and whose names are not generally known :
▪ No one gives much thought to the nameless millions who work in our factories.
▪ the nameless victims of the nation’s civil war
10. when the name of someone or something is not suitable
▷ so-called /ˌsəʊ ˈkɔːld◂/ [adjective only before noun]
a word used to describe someone or something that has been given a name that you think is wrong :
▪ I went to see the playwright’s so-called masterpiece and was very disappointed by it.
▪ A lot has been written in recent years about the so-called ‘male menopause’.
▷ misnomer /mɪsˈnəʊməʳ/ [countable noun] formal
a name that is not correct or does not seem suitable :
▪ The Palace of Justice - a terrible misnomer - was set on fire by the workers.
be something of a misnomer
▪ The term ‘black-headed gull’ is something of a misnomer, since the bird’s head is actually brown.
▷ nominal /ˈnɒmɪn ə l, ˈnɒmən ə lǁˈnɑː-/ [adjective]
having the name of a job or position in society, but not actually doing that job or having the responsibilities that go with it :
▪ It’s fairly clear that he is only the nominal head of the local party -- in fact he’s got no authority at all.
▪ The daughter had all the brains and did all the accounts -- the son was just the nominal boss of the business.
▷ in name only /ɪn ˌneɪm ˈəʊnli/ [adverb]
having a name or title, but not having the qualities or character that go with that name :
▪ It’s a revolutionary party in name only -- in fact it’s quite conservative.
▪ He will be my husband in name only - he knows I’m really in love with you.
▷ self-styled /ˈself staɪld/ [adjective]
use this about someone who gives himself or herself a particular title that you think they do not deserve and do not have a right to :
▪ The self-styled Leader of the New Republic refused all attempts at negotiation by the former government.
▪ These self-styled complementary therapists make a fortune out of preying on the gullibility of often very sick people.