to-name

noun

"to-name" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A name added to another name; surname.

Corpus desk

Index EN-to-name · to-name · English

to-name · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "T" 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 to-name
PropertyValue
Headwordto-name
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

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

to-namesits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

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

Rare enough to double-check

to-name is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for to-name in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, 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 toname, tonome, from Old English tōnama (“surname”), equivalent to to- + name. Cognate with West Frisian tanamme, Dutch toenaam, Middle Low German toname, German Zuname, Danish tilnavn, Swedish tillnamn. The correct English form is to-name, spelled T-O---N-A-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A name added to another name; surname.
  2. 2
    A name in addition to the forename and surname of an individual.

Etymology

From Middle English toname, tonome, from Old English tōnama (“surname”), equivalent to to- + name. Cognate with West Frisian tanamme, Dutch toenaam, Middle Low German toname, German Zuname, Danish tilnavn, Swedish tillnamn.

Synonyms

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 "to-name"?
"to-name" is spelled T-O---N-A-M-E.
What does "to-name" mean?
As a noun, "to-name" means: A name added to another name; surname.
What is the origin of the word "to-name"?
From Middle English toname, tonome, from Old English tōnama (“surname”), equivalent to to- + name. Cognate with West Frisian tanamme, Dutch toenaam, Middle Low German toname, German Zuname, Danish tilnavn, Swedish tillnamn. 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