what is mothers maiden name

A maiden name is a womans surname before she is married, usually the family name of her parents and the name registered at her birth. It is typically only used for women who also have a married name. For example, after a woman gets married, she may take her spouses last name and her maiden name becomes her previous last name. Banks and other institutions used to commonly use a customers mothers maiden name as an additional security question, but this practice is not recommended now that information like this is so easy to obtain. Birth certificates for all of the UK include the mothers maiden name, and in Scottish marriage certificates, the maiden surname of both the grooms and the brides mother is included.