deadname

Deadname is the name that a transperson was given at birth and no longer identifies with. The act of deadnaming a transperson, or calling someone by a birth name no longer associated with, can be highly offensive and even traumatizing to that person. Some states have implemented anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQIA+ people that are intended to prevent deadnaming. For example, California public colleges are required to update student’s records to reflect student’s legal name changes. Additionally, graduates can request an updated copy of their diploma and transcripts with a new name at no extra cost. See: CA Education Code § 66271.4a. The New York State Gender Recognition Act (GRA) eliminated the State legal requirement that name changes be published in the newspaper along with the petitioner’s deadname and home address.

Federal protections against deadnaming are less specific and more limited. For example, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) 2024 Enforcement Guidelines had considered repeated deadnaming in the workplace to be a Title VII violation. However, following the decision in Texas v. EEOC, 633 F. Supp. 3d 824 (N.D. Tex. 2022), in which the judge ruled that the expanded definition of sex and deadnaming within the Guidelines, among other protections, did not fall under Title VII harassment claims. Furthermore, President Trump’s Executive Order 14168 has directed the EEOC to rescind any guidelines recognizing more than two genders, thus further limiting protections for trans and gender non-conforming individuals such as preventing deadnaming in the workplace. 

[Last reviewed in June of 2026 by the Wex Definitions Team]

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