maiden name / girl's name
der Mädchenname, die Mädchennamen
Loading your saved state.
maiden name
The family name a woman had before her first marriage, if she took a different name when she married.
Ihr Mädchenname ist Schneider, seit ihrer Hochzeit heißt sie Weber.
Her maiden name is Schneider; since her wedding, her name has been Weber.
girl's name
A first name for a girl.
Für ihre Tochter suchen sie einen kurzen Mädchennamen wie Mia oder Lea.
They are looking for a short girl's name like Mia or Lea for their daughter.
| gender | masculine der |
|---|---|
| plural | die Mädchennamen |
| genitive | des Mädchennamens |
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | der Mädchenname | die Mädchennamen |
| accusative | den Mädchennamen | die Mädchennamen |
| dative | dem Mädchennamen | den Mädchennamen |
| genitive | des Mädchennamens | der Mädchennamen |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
'Mädchenname' consists of 'Mädchen' (girl) and 'Name' (name). The compound alone does not show whether it refers to a first name or a former family name; you need the context to determine that.
Emma steht auf unserer Liste der Mädchennamen.
Emma is on our list of girls' names.
Nach der Scheidung nahm sie ihren Mädchennamen wieder an.
After the divorce, she took her maiden name back.
Common collocations include 'den Mädchennamen behalten' (to keep one's maiden name) and 'den Mädchennamen wieder annehmen' (to take one's maiden name back). 'Behalten' (to keep) is used when the name is not changed upon marriage; 'wieder annehmen' (to take back) is used when returning to a former name.
Bei ihrer Hochzeit hat meine Tante ihren Mädchennamen behalten.
My aunt kept her maiden name when she got married.
Nach ihrer Scheidung möchte sie ihren Mädchennamen wieder annehmen.
After her divorce, she wants to take her maiden name back.
'Unter ihrem Mädchennamen' (under her maiden name) describes the name a woman uses, for example, when working, publishing, or registering. In this pattern, the word after 'unter' is in the dative.
Die Autorin veröffentlicht ihre Bücher unter ihrem Mädchennamen.
The author publishes her books under her maiden name.
When looking for a first name, collocations such as 'beliebte Mädchennamen' (popular girls' names), 'seltene Mädchennamen' (rare girls' names), and 'einen Mädchennamen auswählen' (to choose a girl's name) are common. You will often encounter this meaning in lists for choosing names.
Auf dieser Internetseite finden werdende Eltern eine Liste mit seltenen Mädchennamen.
Expectant parents can find a list of rare girls' names on this website.
