surname
1 of 2noun
sur·name ˈsər-ˌnām 
1
: an added name derived from occupation or other circumstance : nickname sense 1
2
: the name borne in common by members of a family
surname
2 of 2verb
surnamed; surnaming; surnames
transitive verb
: to give a surname to
Synonyms
Noun
- family name
- last name
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Noun judging from your surname, I'd guess that your family is Italian “da Vinci” was Leonardo's surname but not his family name, Vinci being the town near Florence where the great artist was born
Recent Examples on the Web
Aya Elamroussi, CNN, 8 Sep. 2022 Rickon’s surname will of course be recognizable to Game of Thrones viewers; the Starks were the series’ chief protagonists. Josh St. Clair, Men's Health, 22 Aug. 2022 An earlier version of this article incorrectly spelled Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney’s surname as Chaney. John Mccormick, WSJ, 18 Aug. 2022 When Stuart was 6, his mother married Angier David Woods, and the boy took his stepfather’s surname. Sam Roberts, BostonGlobe.com, 30 July 2022 So, Jennifer Lopez Affleck has a shiny new manicure, a shiny new ring, and shiny new surname. Elle Turner, Glamour, 19 July 2022 Central Catholic’s Braeden Flowers is aware of how much clout his surname carries in San Antonio’s football circles. David Hinojosa, San Antonio Express-News, 23 Aug. 2022 As her surname suggests, Sally is an anthropomorphic Porsche 911 Carrera. Greg Fink, Car and Driver, 12 Aug. 2022 When Stuart was 6, his mother married Angier David Woods, and the boy took his stepfather’s surname. Sam Roberts, BostonGlobe.com, 30 July 2022 See More
Noun
The judge also determined the court will recognize the his legal surname as Henderson. Aya Elamroussi, CNN, 8 Sep. 2022 Rickon’s surname will of course be recognizable to Game of Thrones viewers; the Starks were the series’ chief protagonists. Josh St. Clair, Men's Health, 22 Aug. 2022 An earlier version of this article incorrectly spelled Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney’s surname as Chaney. John Mccormick, WSJ, 18 Aug. 2022 When Stuart was 6, his mother married Angier David Woods, and the boy took his stepfather’s surname. Sam Roberts, BostonGlobe.com, 30 July 2022 So, Jennifer Lopez Affleck has a shiny new manicure, a shiny new ring, and shiny new surname. Elle Turner, Glamour, 19 July 2022 Central Catholic’s Braeden Flowers is aware of how much clout his surname carries in San Antonio’s football circles. David Hinojosa, San Antonio Express-News, 23 Aug. 2022 As her surname suggests, Sally is an anthropomorphic Porsche 911 Carrera. Greg Fink, Car and Driver, 12 Aug. 2022 When Stuart was 6, his mother married Angier David Woods, and the boy took his stepfather’s surname. Sam Roberts, BostonGlobe.com, 30 July 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
surname
noun
sur·name ˈsər-ˌnām
: the name that comes at the end of someone's full name
James Smith's surname is Smith.
surnames 1 of 2
noun
1
as in family names
a name shared by members of a family judging from your surname, I'd guess that your family is Italian Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- family names
- last names
- epithets
- married names
- maiden names
- sobriquets
- soubriquets
- cognomens
- cognomina
2
as in nicknames
a descriptive or familiar name given instead of or in addition to the one belonging to an individual "da Vinci" was Leonardo's surname but not his family name, Vinci being the town near Florence where the great artist was born Synonyms & Similar Words
- nicknames
- epithets
- monikers
- pseudonyms
- aliases
- monickers
- sobriquets
- bynames
- soubriquets
- titles
- appellations
- denominations
- designations
- cognomens
- cognomina
- labels
- tags
- handles
- denotations
- pen names
- anonyms
- noms de plume
- noms de guerre
surnames
2 of 2verb
as in names
Synonyms & Similar Words
- names
- titles
- styles
- nicknames
- terms
- labels
- dubs
- denominates
- baptizes
- nominates
- code-names
- designates
- clepes
- christens
- entitles
- brands
- denotes
- tags
- specifies
- stigmatizes
- calls
- renames
- misnames
- relabels
- miscalls
- mistitles
- rechristens
