deadname
/ˈdɛd.neɪm/noun, verb
deadname is spelled D-E-A-D-N-A-M-E: 8 letters. It appears about once in every 27 million words in written English, the 157,761st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, deadname means “A previous name of a person (especially a transgender person) who has since changed their name” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of deadname is deadnames.
How many letters and syllables are in deadname?
| Letters | 8: D-E-A-D-N-A-M-E |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 27 million words; the 157,761st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is deadname?
Deadname appears about once in every 27 million words in written English, the 157,761st most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce deadname?
- /ˈdɛd.neɪm/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-deadname.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Flame,_not_lame-deadname.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of deadname
- deadnames plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- dead name
- dead-name
- deadnaming participle, present
- deadnamed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does deadname mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A previous name of a person (especially a transgender person) who has since changed their name.
“My deadname is everywhere because of my ID card, and not only do I have to look at it but lots of other people get to see. […]
verb
- 1
To refer to someone (especially a transgender person) who has changed names by their previous name.
"Right now, it's unclear whether they are choosing to deadname me maliciously, or just can't be bothered to accommodate trans students in the way we require them to," he said.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Deadname in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | deadname, morinom , morinommer, deadnamer |
| Portuguese | nome morto |
| Spanish | necrónimo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does deadname come from?
From dead + name, because the old name is dead (“no longer used”). Attested since at least 2010 as a noun and 2013 as a verb by the OED.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).