name

Pluralnames

Formsnames, naming, named

1. 1
   label (word)nouncountable

   A word, phrase, or string of characters by which a particular person, place, thing, class, or other entity is known or identified.

   I've met her twice, but I can never remember her name.

   The committee debated for weeks before choosing a name for the new bridge.

   UsageAsk What's your name? (not incorrect: How is your name?). Common partners: first name, full name, by name.

   Similartitle, label, designation

   Note

   The oldest layer of the word, and the one the other noun senses grow from. It runs from Old English nama through Middle English name back to a Proto-Indo-European root. Names are bestowed: in the King James Bible of 1611, Adam names each living creature. They can also be doubted, as in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, where a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

   • The noun descends through Middle English name from Old English nama and ultimately Proto-Indo-European. en.wiktionary.org
   • The King James Bible was first published in 1611. wwwe.lib.cam.ac.uk
   • Genesis depicts Adam naming living creatures. en.wikisource.org
   • Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet contains the rose-and-name comparison, spoken by Juliet; the item paraphrases it. en.wikipedia.org
2. 2
   verb

   To give a person, place, or thing a name by which it will be known.

   The astronomers who discovered the comet were given the honor of naming it.

   City officials voted to name the park after a local civil rights leader.

   UsageName someone or something after a person: named the park after her. The name follows directly: a man named Jack.

   Similarchristen, dub, call, title

   Note

   The object can be followed by the name given to it, as in L. Frank Baum's The Marvelous Land of Oz (1904): "I will name the fellow 'Jack Pumpkinhead!'" Source

   Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

   • L. Frank Baum wrote The Marvelous Land of Oz. en.wikisource.org
   • The book was first published in 1904. en.wikipedia.org
   • The quotation appears exactly as given in the novel; its speaker is Tip. en.wikisource.org
3. 3
   designateverbtransitive

   To designate or appoint someone or something to a role, position, or status.

   The board named a longtime employee as the company's next CEO.

   The committee plans to name a successor before the end of the year.

   UsageNamed to a body, or named as the holder of a post; often passive: she was named CEO.

   Similarnominate

   Oppositedismiss, remove

4. 4
   reputationnouncountable

   The reputation or public standing of a person, family, or organization.

   Years of reliable service earned the firm a solid name in the industry.

   One scandal can ruin a name that took decades to build.

   UsageIdioms: a good name, make a name for yourself, win a name for something.

   Similarreputation, standing, repute

   Note

   In Shakespeare's Othello, Iago calls a good name "the immediate jewel" of the soul. John Buchan's The Outgoing of the Tide (1902) gives Alison Sempill "a more evil name" than anyone in the parish. The Revised Standard Version of 1952 says David "won a name for himself." Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 5 facts

   • In William Shakespeare's Othello, Iago describes a good name as "the immediate jewel" of people's souls. gutenberg.org
   • John Buchan's The Outgoing of the Tide describes Alison Sempill as having "a more evil name" than anyone else in the parish. gutenberg.net.au
   • The Outgoing of the Tide was first published in 1902. en.wikipedia.org
   • The complete Revised Standard Version Bible was first published in 1952. classic.biblegateway.com
   • The Revised Standard Version says that David "won a name for himself." biblegateway.com
5. 5
   specifyverbtransitive

   To mention, specify, or identify something explicitly, such as one choice, a cause, or a factor.

   When asked about her influences, the author named three obscure poets.

   Name your price, and we can begin negotiating.

   UsageSet phrases: name your price; you name it means whatever you can think of.

   Similarmention, specify, identify, cite, list

   Note

   Choosing from a range of possibilities is the heart of it, as in name your price. In call-shot pool, a player must pot the ball in the pocket they have named. In news reports, a study that names countries simply singles them out, without the blame carried by the accusing sense. Source

   Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

   • In call-shot pool, making the called shot requires pocketing the intended ball in the specified pocket. wpapool.com
6. 6
   nouncountable

   A well-known person, company, or organization.

   Within ten years, the small bakery had become a trusted name across the region.

   The festival lineup mixes a few household names with dozens of promising newcomers.

   UsageMostly with a word of size or fame: a big name, household names.

   Similarplayer, figure

   Note

   The sense leans on the "reputation" meaning, and it stretches to companies and organizations, so Amnesty International and Greenpeace are household names. Dryden's 1697 translation of Virgil uses it more neutrally, for any person: "each degenerate name." Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

   • Amnesty International is a household name. advocacyinitiative.ie
   • Greenpeace is a household name. greenpeace.org
   • John Dryden translated Virgil's works into English, and the translation was first published in 1697. openbook.lib.utah.edu
   • The wording "each degenerate name" occurs in Dryden's translation and refers to persons without implying fame. gutenberg.org
7. 7
   verbtransitive

   To make public the name of a person or thing, especially someone involved in an event or accused of wrongdoing.

   Authorities have not yet named the victims of the fire.

   The article declined to name its sources.

   Similaridentify, reveal, disclose

8. 8
   on behalfnoun

   The authority of a person or institution, invoked when one acts or speaks on their behalf.

   The ambassador spoke in the name of her government.

   Property seized in the king's name was rarely returned.

   UsageFixed phrases: in the name of the law, in the king's name, in our name.

   Similarauthority

   Note

   George Barnett Smith (1881) records a warning against crimes "committed in our name." There the sense is at its sharpest: a people answers for what is done on its behalf. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

   • George Barnett Smith's The Life and Speeches of the Right Hon. John Bright, M.P. was first published in 1881. archive.org
   • Smith records a warning against crimes containing the exact words "committed in our name." en.wiktionary.org

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