For years I’ve operated on the belief that the maiden name of an ancestor was Dunaway. I had never seen it written on an actual record. The first reference to the name was on a family group chart someone compiled years ago with no indication of a source listed. The name had simply been copied and copied over and over. This 1900 death certificate for a daughter of the woman listed the maiden name. Maybe it’s Dunaway and maybe it’s not, but if your only source is a reference that is completely uncited there’s a chance it might not be right. 
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For me it looks like Nancy Holaway, with the H curving up & over the h to make it look like a D.Then an o to follow. Of course I got new glasses so anything is possible. Lol!
Looks like a “D” to me. Look at the next line…and ‘Dec’. .
Maybe ‘Dohaway’ or Dolraway….other letters with upswing do not appear to loop….but there are few samples shown.
And did the informant for the death certificate know how to spell the maiden name? If the informant was her spouse, probably, a son or daughter, maybe not. And sometimes I wonder why we think genealogy is so much fun.
You’re absolutely correct. Even if a maiden name is given on a death certificate, it may or may not be correct. On the death certificate for one of my ancestors, the mother’s maiden name is given as “Douglas”. This is the town of her birth, not her maiden name. Luckily, we know the correct name and have documentation. Must always check multiple sources on everything.