Legal Definitions - née

NÉE

née (nay) is a French word used to describe a woman's birth name. It is often used after a married woman's name to show her maiden name. The masculine form of this word is né, but it is not commonly used in English.

1. Mrs. Robert Jones, née Thatcher, attended the party.

2. Sarah Smith, née Johnson, is a famous author.

The first example shows how the word née is used to indicate a woman's maiden name. Mrs. Robert Jones was born with the last name Thatcher, and the word née is used to show that. The second example also uses née to show that Sarah Smith's birth name was Johnson.