What is mothers maiden name?

A mother's maiden name is the surname a mother has at birth. It's the surname of her father (her paternal surname) and is the name she used before she got married and took her spouse's surname.

The mother's maiden name is often used as a security question to verify identity when accessing accounts or services. This is because it's considered information that is known only to close family and relatively difficult for others to discover.

Historically, the use of a mother's%20maiden%20name is more prevalent in cultures where surnames are patrilineal (inherited through the father's line). In these societies, the maiden name serves as a unique identifier of the maternal lineage.

While the prevalence of its use as a security question is decreasing due to increasing concerns about data breaches and the ease with which this information can sometimes be found, it remains a common piece of personal information. Using it as a password security question is no longer a recommended best practice.