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rename

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Etymology and origin of the English word rename

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1579 J. Frampton, translation of Marco Polo
Ultimate origins
English re-Proto-Germanic *namō
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Old English nama
English name
English rename
From the same root
English namesake ← nama

Pronunciation

  • /ɹiːˈneɪm/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English re- + name.[2][3][4] The OED derives it from the noun name, Etymonline from the verb.[2][3] Etymonline also records the spelling “re-name”.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

To give a new or different name to: 1579, in John Frampton's translation of Marco Polo.[2] Etymonline dates the word to the 1650s.[3]

Semantic evolution

The meaning has stayed close to that of the prefix and noun: to name anew or a second time, frequently with the new name following as a complement.[2][3][4] A rare sense, to mention again or repeat, is recorded only in 1665, in John Webb's Vindication of Stone-Heng Restored.[2]

Timeline

  • 1579 – to give a new name to.[2]
  • 1665 – to refer to again, repeat (rare, obsolete).[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To give a new or different name to: The council renamed the street after a local poet.[5][4][2]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Rename.” Etymologically, 1 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/en/rename. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

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