Your first name is the first of the names that were given to you when you were born. You can also refer to all of your names except your surname as your first names.
Her first name was Mary. I don't know what her surname was.
See on first name terms
first name in British English
noun
a name given to a person at birth, as opposed to a surname
Also called: Christian name, forename, given name
first-name in British English
(ˌfɜːstˈneɪm)
modifier
to be on first-name terms
first name in American English
US
given name
Examples of 'first name' in a sentence
first name
Some of the intake said they would prefer being addressed by their first names.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
No one knows my first name anyway.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
They would know your first name.
The Sun (2012)
I know his first name and where he lives.
The Sun (2010)
Research shows that referring to a person by their first name just twice in a ten-minute conversation significantly increases positive feelings.
The Sun (2015)
Have you noticed how when you phone to book a restaurant these days, they always ask for your first name as well as your last?
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
When I phoned to ask why, it said it did not know my first name.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The first thing we all discovered was that the rather ponderous first names his parents had bestowed on him had been replaced by'Sam '.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
We proceeded to immigration, where my wife was stopped due to her ticket recording the initial of her first name, rather than the full name.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
She hadn't made the connection from the photo in the newspapers and had only been on first-name terms with the two.
Peter Robinson AFTERMATH (2001)
We were now on first-name terms with Casey, who turned out, not surprisingly, to be an Andy.
Malcolm, John WHISTLER IN THE DARK (2001)
We seem to be on remarkably formal first-name terms this morning.
Ross, Melville LOHENGRIN (2001)
In other languages
first name
British English: first name /fɜːst neɪm/ NOUN
Your first name is the first of the names that you were given when you were born, as opposed to your family name.
What is her first name?
American English: first name
Arabic: الِاسمُ الَأوَّل
Brazilian Portuguese: nome
Chinese: 名字
Croatian: ime
Czech: křestní jméno
Danish: fornavn
Dutch: voornaam
European Spanish: nombre de pila
Finnish: etunimi
French: prénom
German: Vorname
Greek: μικρό όνομα
Italian: nome
Japanese: ファーストネーム
Korean: 이름
Norwegian: fornavn
Polish: imię
European Portuguese: nome próprio
Romanian: prenume
Russian: имя
Latin American Spanish: nombre de pila
Swedish: förnamn
Thai: ชื่อแรก
Turkish: ön ad
Ukrainian: ім'я
Vietnamese: tên
Chinese translation of 'first name'
first name
n(c)
名 (míng) (个(個), gè)
to be on first-name terms (with sb)(与(與)某人)关(關)系(係)亲(親)密 ((yǔ mǒurén) guānxì qīnmì)