Glossary entry (derived from question below)
French term or phrase:
nom d'usage
English translation:
usual first name
French term
Accurate, professional translations
Native in: English 
, Italian
Works in: Italian to English, French to English
nom d'usage
1. Nom d'usage: three different first names
2. Prénoms: no names listed
3. Nom de naissance: last name (or surname if you are in the UK)
My problem is to distinguish between "nom d'usage" and "prénoms", especially since the latter is plural and can hardly be translated "first names" ("given names", perhaps? and "common" or "usual" first name for nom d'usage?) Thank you for the help.
Jan 22, 2010 15:52: Stéphanie Soudais (X) changed "Term asked" from "nome d\'usage" to "nom d\'usage"
Jan 22, 2010 16:52: SJLD changed "Level" from "PRO" to "Non-PRO"
Jan 25, 2010 15:03: Yolanda Broad changed "Edited KOG entry" from "<a href="/profile/1007227">Marco Solinas's</a> old entry - "nom d\'usage"" to ""üsual first name""
Jan 25, 2010 15:03: Yolanda Broad changed "Edited KOG entry" from "<a href="/profile/761">Yolanda Broad's</a> old entry - "nom d\'usage"" to ""usual first name""
PRO (3): Sheila Wilson, Neil Coffey, Yolanda Broad
Non-PRO (3): writeaway, Chris Hall, SJLD
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Proposed translations
United Kingdom
Your patent translation partner
Native in: English 
Works in: German to English, French to English, Italian to English
preferred name
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Note added at 26 mins (2010-01-22 15:33:29 GMT)
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For "prénoms" I would use "first/middle names"
| Thank you Emma |
| agree |
Karen Stokes
45 mins
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| agree |
Sheila Wilson
: definitely, IMO
4 hrs
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| agree |
Alison Curran
8 hrs
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| agree |
Ana Resende
9 hrs
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| agree |
ACOZ (X)
13 hrs
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Austria
Cristina Bufi Poecksteiner, M.A.
BDÜ Law Marketing Med Techn - since 1990
Native in: Italian
Works in: German to Italian, English to Italian, French to Italian, and 11 more.
used name
| agree |
Adsion Liu
: I would go with Cristina's idea, like including other used names....
51 mins
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Thanks Adsion
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219 témoignages et ils ne cessent pas...
Native in: English (Variants: British, UK)
Works in: French to English, English
customary name
| agree |
Sally Quinn
1 hr
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Many thanks Sally - much appreciated. Kind regards, Chris.
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| agree |
MatthewLaSon
: I think that is what is meant here. None of the other suggestion sound right.
2 hrs
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Many thanks Matthew - much appreciated. Kind regards, Chris.
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| neutral |
Jennifer White
: Have never heard this used in reference to people. Glossary shouldn't be taken as gospel.
3 hrs
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Many thanks for taking the time to register your feedback.
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Belize
Near Native Proficiency in Source langua
Native in: English
Works in: Portuguese to English, Dutch to English, French to English
the name you go by
name known by
Their instructions read:
If you are applying for your first passport and the name you are known by is different to the name on your birth certificate, you will need to enclose with your passport application a document called a Deed Poll (also known as a Change of Name Deed), which shows your name changing from your birth name to the name you are known by.
"Please note, it does not matter that you do not have any documentary evidence of your former name change. Maybe your name was changed when you were a child and you cannot find any documentary evidence of the change. What is important is that your Deed Poll document you send to the passport office shows your name changing from your birth name to the name you are known by. Therefore, when you complete the Deed Poll application form, you need to enter your birth name in the current name boxes and your current name in the new name boxes. This will ensure your Deed Poll document shows the correct name change so it will be acceptable to the passport office."
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Note added at 1 hr (2010-01-22 16:25:17 GMT)
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Oh, and for "prénoms" I would use "given names" which is used to differentiate them from the surname of family name.
| agree |
Travelin Ann
: known as or even AKA (also known as)
56 mins
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yes, those too!
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| agree |
John Detre
2 hrs
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thanks John
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ATA certified English-French translator
Native in: French
Works in: English to French, French to English, Spanish to English, and 1 more.
Preferred name or married name
It can also be your last name + the last name of the parent who didn't give you his/her name at birth. See the source link I provided (Official French government site).
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Note added at 4844 days (2023-04-28 23:29:06 GMT) Post-grading
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And see also: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nom_d'usage
I am French and when I was married, my "nom d'usage" was my birth last name + my husband's last name.
Discussion