maiden name
birth/given/birth family/family/former/original/premarital name, family of origin name, original surname. "Birth name" is the most commonly used term. Keeping one's birth name is not as widespread as it is perceived to be: only 10% of U.S. married women do not use their husband's last name. Since 1979, women in Quebec legally retain their surname upon marriage unless they make a special application to change it (Ruth King, Talking Gender). In Sicily, many women have two names—their own "public" name and their married "private" name. See also hyphenated surnames, surnames.
