Hillary Rodham Clinton is more popular among voters than plain Hillary Clinton, a CNN/USA Today poll has discovered.

The addition of the senator’s maiden name, which has been the subject of much discussion among voters both married and single, seems to distance her somewhat from her husband President Clinton, the poll finds.

Whereas plain Hillary Clinton has a mere 3% advantage between those who approve of her and those who do not, to 46% from 43%, the reminder that she was once and still remains a separate entity from her spouse widens the gap to 8%, to 50% from 42%.

While the numbers who have an unfavorable rating of Mrs. Clinton remain almost the same whatever the senator calls herself, the addition of Rodham, which some opponents consider pandering to women who resist taking their husband’s name at marriage, improves her image in the eyes of voters who otherwise had no opinion of her.

This difference in his wife’s standing is notwithstanding a finding by the poll that shows the former president remains hugely popular among adult Americans. The telephone survey, taken between April 21 and 23, shows that 57% approve of Mr. Clinton, while 38% are unfavorable.

The poll also shows that Senator Mc-Cain, a Republican of Arizona, is wellliked by voters. While 46% consider him favorably, a mere 20% have an unfavorable image of him. By comparison, Senator Kennedy, a Democrat of Massachusetts,is favorably rated by 44%; yet nearly as many, 40%, think of him unfavorably.