preferred name
What to call
A preferred name is what someone wants to be called, as distinct from their legal or given name.
The term appears most often in institutional contexts—schools, workplaces, healthcare—where systems accommodate names that differ from official records: Please enter your preferred name on the form.
Common among transgender people, those who go by nicknames, and people whose legal names are difficult to pronounce.
- nicknameInformal substitute name
- aliasAdopted false name
- go byPass or follow
- identityWho someone is
- pseudonymFictitious professional name
moniker · handle · self · authenticity · transition · coming out · gender · pronoun · true self · respect · recognition · form · document · student records · introduction · nameplate · badge · email signature
preferred namelegal name
Official designation on records
birth name · given name · official name · government name · dead name
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