Portuguese Phrase
Está em nome de quem?
Meaning
Literally, ‘Is it in the name of who?’, i.e., ‘Whose name is it under?’ It is used when you need to know the registered owner of an account, a property, a ticket, etc.
When to use
Use this question when you are dealing with documents, tickets, bank accounts, or any item that is registered under a person’s name and you need to confirm who the holder is.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Estáemnomedequem?
Estar (está)
‘Está’ is the third‑person singular present of the verb ‘estar’, used for temporary states or location.
Preposition ‘em nome de’
The phrase ‘em nome de’ means ‘in the name of’ and is used to indicate ownership or registration.
Interrogative pronoun ‘quem’
‘Quem’ means ‘who’ and is used to ask about a person; it never changes form.
🗨In Conversation
Está em nome de quem?
Whose name is it under?
Está em nome da Maria.
It’s in Maria’s name.
✕Common Mistakes
É em nome de quem?
‘É’ (from ser) is used for permanent characteristics; here you need the temporary state ‘está’.
De quem está?
The order ‘de quem está’ sounds unnatural; keep the fixed phrase ‘em nome de quem’.
Nome de quem está?
Missing the preposition ‘em’; the correct idiom is ‘em nome de quem’.
↔Alternatives
Em nome de quem está?
In whose name is it?
Quem é o titular?
Who is the holder?
A quem pertence?
To whom does it belong?
Cultural Tip
In Brazil, formal situations (banks, government offices) often require you to state the name of the account holder. Using ‘Está em nome de quem?’ is polite and direct, but you can add ‘por favor’ for extra courtesy. In some regions, people may ask ‘Em nome de quem está?’ – both are correct, but the former is more common in written Portuguese.