in the name of

prep

"in-the-name-of" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“in the name of” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a preposition. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
14
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - With appeal to; by; often used to introduce oaths

Corpus desk

Index EN-in-the-name-of · in the name of · English

in the name of · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 14 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "I" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for in the name of
PropertyValue
Headwordin the name of
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechPreposition
Letters14
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “in the name of” in English

in the name offalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

in the name of is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as apreposition. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for in the name of, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English in the name of, in þe name of. The correct English form is in the name of, spelled I-N- -T-H-E- -N-A-M-E- -O-F.

Definition

  1. 1
    With appeal to; by; often used to introduce oaths
  2. 2
    By the authority of.
  3. 3
    Under the name or possession of.
  4. 4
    Under the designation or excuse of.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how in the name of appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. In the name of all things sacred, please stop that screaming!
  2. In the name of the law, come out with your hands up.

Etymology

From Middle English in the name of, in þe name of.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "in the name of"?
"in the name of" is spelled I-N- -T-H-E- -N-A-M-E- -O-F.
What does "in the name of" mean?
As a preposition, "in the name of" means: With appeal to; by; often used to introduce oaths
What is the origin of the word "in the name of"?
From Middle English in the name of, in þe name of. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list