forename
/ˈfɔːneɪm/US/ˈfɔɹneɪm/
forename noun: a name that precedes the surname.
Noun
forename (plural forenames)
- A name that precedes the surname.
- Synonyms:
- given name, Christian name, prename
Verb
forename (third-person singular simple present forenames, present participle forenaming, simple past and past participle forenamed)
- To assign (someone) a first name.
- He forenamed him Ishmael, and assigns as a reason, his own attention to her present distress.1798 August, Monitor, “Sacred Biography”, in The Christian Magazine: Or, Evangelical Repository, volume 2, number 18, page 371
- It may be noted that Le Verrier subsequently suggested another ad hoc hypothesis , namely , that the irregularities in the orbit of Mercury were due to an interior planet, which he forenamed Vulcan.1950, Lizzie Susan Stebbing, Revival: A Modern Introduction to Logic, page 398
- Synonym of prenominate.
- This forenaming of Cyrus is, indeed, extraordinary, and calculated to excite attention.1880, The Methodist Magazine, page 70
- A second Parcell of meadow which wee forenamed, sould unto the sayd John Greenland , containing Three Akers, by estimation more or less: Is lying and scituate alsoe on mistike syde, By and nere the South River , It is Bounded by a part of the South River where it divides, and it is Bounded...1883, Boston. Registry Department, Report of Record Commissioners - Volume 3, page 134
- Synonyms:
- prenominate
- To appoint in advance.
- Now, the Central Junta having to deceive the people, affirmed that Sir Arthur Wellesley had retreated to the frontiers of Portugal at the very moement when the French might have been driven to the Pyrenees, came very soon to believe this, their own absurd calumny, and resolved to send the army at...1839, Sir William Francis Patrick Napier, History of the War in the Peninsula and in the South of France, page 41
- CAP provides for the forenaming of approved mortgagees in small communities […]1958, National Real Estate and Building Journal - Volume 59, Issues 1-6
forename meaning in Tamil, Kannada and Vietnamese
forename in Tamil
- முதற்பெயர்
forename in Kannada
- ಮೊದಲ ಹೆಸರು, ಹುಟ್ಟು ಹೆಸರು, ಸ್ವಂತ ಹೆಸರು
forename in Vietnamese
- name that precedes the surname
- tên, tên gọi, tên thánh
Examples of forename in a sentence
- The child was named Pujari Venkata Guru Siva Prasad. the boy was forenamed Pujari to serve as a reminder to the people that he will look after the temple of Gurappa Swami and perform Devara.2022, The Saviours of the Vitals:
- Before His birth, He was forenamed, “a man of sorrows” (Isaiah 53:3).2016, Zacharias Tanee Fomum, The way of Discipleship:
- A committee was forenamed consisting of Messrs: G W Naylor, W Lister, Jno McDonald, Geo Barraclough, M Worsley, Jos Blacker, R H Morley and Heap with Mr Wood as secretary.2012, Chris Heath, The Denby Dale Pies, 1788–2000:
Synonyms of forename
Antonyms
Forms of forename
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | forenames |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | forenames |
| present participle | forenaming |
| past participle | forenamed |
| past | forenamed |
Origin of forename
From fore- + name.
Questions about forename
- What does forename mean?
- Forename means a name that precedes the surname.
- What is forename in Tamil?
- Forename in Tamil is முதற்பெயர். See Forename meaning in Tamil.
- How do you use forename in a sentence?
- The child was named Pujari Venkata Guru Siva Prasad. the boy was forenamed Pujari to serve as a reminder to the people that he will look after the temple of Gurappa Swami and perform Devara.
- What part of speech is forename?
- Forename can be a noun or a verb.
- How do you pronounce forename?
- Forename is pronounced /ˈfɔːneɪm/ (UK).
- What is the plural of forename?
- The plural of forename is forenames.
Words near forename in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: forename (page history and authors); forename (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); forename (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-forename.wav.
Cite this entry: “forename.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/forename. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.