for one's name's sake
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Out of regard for one's character or good name. Sakes! or Sakes alive! Expressions of sur- prise, admiration, etc., commoner in the United States than in England.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “for one's name's sake” mean?
Out of regard for one's character or good name. Sakes! or Sakes alive! Expressions of sur- prise, admiration, etc., commoner in the United States than in England.
Is “for one's name's sake” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.