Deadnaming

Deadnaming is the act of calling a transgender or non-binary person by their birth name after they have chosen a new name. Many transgender people change names as part of gender transition, and wish for their former name (deadname) to be kept private.

Deadnaming has the effect of misgendering its subject, and potentially outing them as transgender. It may occur accidentally, or be done as a deliberate attempt to deny, mock, or invalidate a person's gender identity. Deliberately using a transgender person's deadname is considered offensive.

Trans people may face bureaucratic obstacles in changing their names. Published authors and media figures who have later transitioned may be troubled by the appearance of their former name in metadata records, which can be difficult to change. Some social media platforms and organizations have implemented policies to avoid deadnaming, such as standardizing the use of preferred names rather than legal names or formally banning the practice of deadnaming.