What is a mother's maiden name?
Before computers were widely used for activities such as genealogy and fan gossip, knowledge of the maiden name of one's mother was not readily available to people outside the immediate family. That name was therefore used as a security device by banks and other institutions. When you opened an account, you gave them your mother's maiden name. Later, if you needed to change the account, your knowledge of your mothers maiden name helped to assure them that you were, in fact, the valid account holder. Now that genealogies are widely posted on the Internet this is a much less secure method of identification.
