noun
romantic rumor; scandalous talk; love-affair gossip
Only when written 浮き名 / 浮名
Refers to rumors or public talk about someone's romantic involvement, often with a scandalous or titillating nuance. Commonly used in phrases like 浮き名を流す (to be the subject of romantic gossip).
彼は女優との浮き名を流している。
He is the subject of romantic rumors with an actress.
あの政治家は若い頃、よく浮き名を立てたものだ。
That politician often caused scandalous talk about his love life when he was young.
noun
bad reputation; ill fame
Archaic sense referring to a generally bad reputation, not limited to romantic matters. Rarely used in modern Japanese outside of historical or literary contexts.
古文書には、彼の憂き名が記されている。
His bad reputation is recorded in the ancient documents.
Compound of 浮き (uki, 'floating, fleeting') + 名 (na, 'name, reputation'). The kanji 浮 suggests something transient or superficial, fitting the idea of fleeting romantic gossip. The archaic spelling 憂き名 uses 憂 (urei, 'sorrow, grief'), reflecting the older sense of a sorrowful reputation.