né
Né means "born" in French (née for a woman or girl); née placed before a surname also marks a woman's maiden name.
Né is the past participle of naître, to be born, and it agrees with the person: né for a male, née for a female, nés and nées for more than one. French civil birth records, the actes de naissance, give the child's name, sex, date and place of birth and the parents' names.
Née also introduces a married woman's birth surname, the sense English borrowed. Justine Racicot née Lacasse is a woman born Lacasse who married a Racicot.
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How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "né." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/french/ne-french. Last checked 2026-10-28.