Abirth name is thename given to a person upon birth. The term may be applied to thesurname, thegiven name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto abirth certificate or birth register may by that fact alone become the person'slegal name.[1]
The French andEnglish-adoptednée is the feminine past participle ofnaître, which means "to be born".Né is the masculine form.[2]
The termnée, havingfeminine grammatical gender, can be used to denote awoman'ssurname at birth that has been replaced or changed. In most English-speaking cultures, it is specifically applied to a woman'smaiden name after her surname has changed due to marriage.[3]The termné can be used to denote aman's surname at birth that has subsequently been replaced or changed.[4] The diacritic mark (theacute accent) over thee is considered significant to its spelling, and ultimately its meaning, but is sometimes omitted.[4]
According toOxford University'sDictionary of Modern English Usage, the terms are typically placed after the current surname (e.g., "Margaret Thatcher, née Roberts" or "Bill Clinton, né Blythe").[5][4] Since they are terms adopted into English (from French), they do not have to beitalicized, but they often are.[5]
Laws have existed since the French Revolution stating that 'no citizen can use a first name or surname other than that written on their birth certificate' – but many official organisations address both partners by the husband's surname.