Prename

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A name assigned to an individual prior to the family name serves to distinguish and identify that person in social contexts
2. A given name placed before the surname that identifies a person distinctively
3. A first name used to differentiate an individual from other members of the family

Etymology: "Prename" is a plain compound: the prefix "pre-", meaning "before" (from Latin "prae"), joined to "name," which descends from Old English "nama." Together they describe the given name that stands before the surname, the part of a full name that most people use in everyday life. The "pre-" element is an old and productive one in English, and it is less surprising than it first looks. Its Latin source, "prae," carried the sense of "before" in both time and position, which is why English has so many words built on it, from "precede" to "prefix." Attaching it to "name" creates a term that simply describes order in a full name. Because the construction is transparent, the word is a technical coinage rather than an old folk term, and its exact first use is not something this etymology can pin down. The surprise lies mainly in how little the word has to hide: its meaning is recoverable from its two halves alone.

Synonyms: fore-name, given name, first name, personal name, forename