English

Noun

big name ‎(plural big names)

1. (idiomatic) A widely-known reputation, especially one that is favorable.
   • 1909, P. G. Wodehouse, The Swoop! or How Clarence Saved England, ch. 2:

     Solly had carried on the old business, and was making a big name for himself.

   • 1915, Zane Grey The Lone Star Ranger, ch. 11:

     He made a big name in the war. And since he's been in the ranger service he's done wonders.

   • 2013 Jan. 29, Benjamin Hoffman, "At Media Day, Spotlight on Head Injuries Grows," New York Times (retrieved 10 Oct 2013):

     Do you want to go out there and do the right things or do you want to make that big hit to gain a big name?

2. (idiomatic) A prominent individual, especially one who is favorably regarded.
   • 1917, Sherwood Anderson, Marching Men, ch. 4:

     "You don't want me, you want a big name. They're all set to hang you over there. . . . It's a job for the biggest and best criminal lawyer in town."

   • 1949 April 10, Owen Lattimore, "Big Problem is to Make UN Work, Too," Sunday Herald (Connecticut USA), p. 12 (retrieved 10 Oct 2013):

     With the big names of Europe assembled in Washington for the signing of the Atlantic Pact, the pact itself and its implications continue to be the world's biggest story.

   • 2004 Mach 26, Richard Corliss, "That Old Feeling at 100," Time (retrieved 10 Oct 2013):

     [J]ust before Christmas 1983 . . . our editors were alerted that the surrealist painter Joan Miro had died. (A big name almost always dies around Christmas.)

Synonyms

• (widely-known reputation): fame, recognition, renown
• (prominent individual): celebrity, luminary, notable (noun)

Related terms

• big-name (adj.)

References

• big name at OneLook Dictionary Search