folk name

noun

A name used in common parlance as opposed to an official name.

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Meanings

nounfolk name (plural folk names)

plural folk names · alternative folkname

  1. A name used in common parlance as opposed to an official name.

    Folk names are generally not used in the scientific or birdwatching community. An example of a folk name in Indian English is paddy bird which is used for any of various egrets commonly found feeding in paddy fields.

    2016, James Lambert, “Ornithonymy and Lexicographical Selection Criteria”, in International Journal of Lexicography, volume 30, number 1, pages 39–62
Cite this entry
APA

folk name. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/folk%20name

MLA

“folk name.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/folk%20name. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “folk name,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/folk%20name.

Source: folk name on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.