née

adjective

ˈnā How to pronounce née (audio)
variants or nee
1
—used to identify a woman by her maiden family name
Mrs. Jane Doe, née Smith
2
: originally or formerly called
the Brewers née Pilots who also are in their third year— Fred Ciampa

Examples of née in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Brink was born in 2000 as the only son of Aaron and Laura (nee Voepel) Brink, of Orange, Calif., and a year later, in July 2001, the couple separated. — Anchorage Daily News, 22 Nov. 2022 Son to Tiggy Pettifer, nee Legge-Bourke, his mom was nanny to William and Harry in the 1990’s and has remained close to William ever since. — Erin Hill, Peoplemag, 8 Sep. 2022

Word History

Etymology

French née, feminine of né, literally, born, past participle of naître to be born, from Latin nasci — more at nation

First Known Use

1758, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of née was in 1758

Browse Nearby Words

Nederlands
née
need
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Née.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/n%C3%A9e. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.

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Kids Definition

née

adjective
variants or nee
ˈnā How to pronounce née (audio)
—used to identify a woman by her family name at birth
Mrs. Jane Doe, née Smith
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