Learn English – Equivalent for “née” in spoken English

speechsynonyms

Née is a word borrowed from French that means "born as" and is used to denote someone's former name, such as the maiden name of a married woman. It is usually seen as a parenthetical aside: "Jane Smith (née Doe)." I'm looking for something equivalent that would work when speaking in a formal matter, like for a news report or a speech. I don't think née works in this context, because it sounds more like a negation.

The only thing I can think of is formerly or formerly known as, but those almost sound like something you would say about a criminal to me. I'm wondering what are some good alternatives.

Best Answer

How about simply translating née into English, giving born?

"Jane Smith (born Doe)"

For an example of usage, see this web page

Additionally, see this definition (1b): used for saying that someone had a particular condition, personal quality, name, or social status at the time when they were born [...] e.g. Elton John, born Reginald Dwight.

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